She Plays a Broken Lyre
by Serene-Moon-Princess
Summary: Zelda and Link like each other, but neither knows. At an upcoming party, they finally muster up the courage to tell the other. One thing leads to another, and they find themselves where they never thought they'd be. Too bad things can't stay peaceful.
1. Wistful Thinking Zelda's Thoughts

A/N: So here's my first fanfic on a Zelda game. I hope you enjoy it! By the way, it's 3 in the morning as I'm typing this, so if there are a few mistakes I'm sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Nintendo or The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time.

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She Played a Broken Lyre

Chapter 1: Wistful thinking; Zelda's Thought's

Princess Zelda sat on her white silk-draped bed, lost in thought. Her pink-gloved fingers played lightly with the folds of her usual Hyrulian dress. She wasn't thinking of anything in particular, but many things jumbled around in her mind. There was the thought of the evil king, Ganondorf. He had appeared in Hyrule once again, and even though he hadn't shown any signs of hostility, Zelda knew that he has some evil scheme planned. An eerie, deathly vision had appeared to her a couple of months ago. It was what had warned her of Ganondorf's next attack.

That thought lead to another. No one believed in Zelda's dream-like vision. Well, of course, there was one person who believed and trusted in her. It was her Prince Charming, her knight in shining armor; it was Link. He always had put his fate in her hands from day one, but it wasn't just because he, too, encountered prophetic dreams. There was something else; something deeper inside him.

This thought, like the others, pushed a new thought into Zelda's scrambled mind. _Where in Hyrule was Link?_ It had been that long two months ago when Zelda told Link of her vision that she saw him last. Zelda's thoughts went into overdrive as this man started to fill her head. _Was Link doing alright? Was he fighting more evil? Did he have shelter and food?_ As if the first thoughts weren't enough to worry the young princess! The last thought made her look out of her frost-bitten window.

Outside, the dark starlit sky seemed to clash with the white, glittering snow that was piled high on the yellow, winter eaten grass of Hyrule's many fields. Bone-chilling winds blew weak tree limbs over, causing them to crack and rustle. An ice cold draft from outside seemed to flow from the window and around Zelda's smooth, pale skin. It had to be one of the coldest nights Hyrule had experienced in quite a while.

Frost was laying thickly on the edges of the window, and it traveled towards the center where a small clear spot was. Zelda squinted to look out of the spot, but all she saw were the small glimmer of Hyrule Town's lights. It would be impossible to see anything, especially just one single person. The blankets of white, soft snow falling also added to this inability to see.

_"I hope that Link is not out in such weather!"_ Zelda thought to herself. Rather, she whished that he was sitting with her before a warm blazing fire, and that he had his muscular arms wrapped lovingly around her. Of course, that was only wistful thinking. Nothing like that would ever happen between herself and Link. She hadn't even told him how she felt of him yet. It was probably better that way though. Even if she did tell him her feelings she didn't know if their relationship would even be able to go anywhere. Link was The Hero of Time; Zelda was the princess of Hyrule. Zelda was to only wed a prince from a distant land, appointed to her by her father or by a suitor he chose. It would only cause her pain and heartbreak if she told Link that she felt true feelings for him.

_"Even if we somehow managed to be a couple, Father would only force us apart,"_ Zelda told her self, wringing her hands. While even knowing all that, there was still that feeling of love lingering inside her. There was also that often-occurring feeling of despair. The huge possibility that Link may not like her back always seemed to haunt her. He could like so many other women, what were the chances of Zelda being the one Link loved? Sheik, or herself, had heard from Saria's own mouth that she had been friends with Link since childhood, but liked him more than just a friend or brother. Then there was also the farm girl, Malon that he could also like. Hadn't Link received Epona from her? From what Zelda could tell Malon liked Link also. Who else was there? Oh, who could forget Princess Ruto? Even though Link was not a Zora, one of her kind, Ruto sure did like him. One time Link had told Zelda that Ruto wanted to marry him! She definitely liked him. There was also the whole land of Hyrule or lands away from Hyrule where girls could be liked by Link.

After thinking it all through it made Zelda really want to tell Link her feelings, but if he rejected her…She wouldn't be able to endure that. If only they destined by fate to be together! Maybe they were, but if so shouldn't they be together by now?

Suddenly, a harsh knock at Zelda's mahogany door interrupted her from her thoughts. Impa's voice then sounded from the other side of the door. She said, "Princess Zelda, your father wishes of your presence."

Zelda rolled her crystal blue eyes with a sigh and replied, "Impa, please tell Father that I am rather tired and need to rest."

For a slight moment there was silence from Impa's side of the door. "Yes, Princess, I shall tell your father your words." Footsteps then could be heard as Impa walked down the castle's empty hallway.

_"I wonder what Father wanted of me this time,"_ Zelda thought to her self sourly, _"Probably something about another suitor."_ She marched off towards her dresser in a fit of rage. Couldn't anyone see that she was in love? She didn't want to marry a hairy, ugly, mean, freak from some land she'd never before heard of in her life. The person she loved was the best person in the world, and she wouldn't accept a suitor until she told Link her feelings.

_"Hmm, what if I did marry Link?"_ Zelda thought happily. She started to daydream about their future together while humming her lullaby. As she daydreamed she started to dress for bed. She slipped off her crown and laid it down onto her dark oak dresser. Its gold glimmered in the light softly. The jewels on the crown shimmered and caused little lights to dance around on the bare white walls. Next, her hands unzipped her dress leaving her body bare except for her white undergarments, but then she undid her bra and threw it aside into a basket. Her pale skin illuminated in the light like an angel's.

Leaning towards her oak dresser, she peered inside a drawer then pulled out a light pink night gown. It had long sleeves with lace ruffles at the wrists. The gown flowed lightly to the wooden floor allowing the ace on the bottom to drag. Zelda began to slip the gown on, but as soon as her head popped from the neck hole, she heard a light knocking sound coming from her window. She quickly glanced over to her window, thinking that it was just a tree branch or something similar, but no, someone was outside her window in the cold weather.

The window had been cleared of the frost by the person outside so their features were barely visible. The person seemed to be wearing a dark green tunic. They had beautiful blonde hair and gorgeous bright blue eyes. There was also a small blue light flying around those gorgeous eyes. Zelda then did a double-take. It was Link outside her window! The man she'd been thinking of all night. Just then she realized how that she was only half dressed. How much had he seen?

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A/N: So, how was it? I hope to get the next chapter in soon, but things happen. Next will be Link's thoughts leading up to his peeping tom adventure. :D There lots of romance ahead around the 4th or 5th chapter(s) so I just hope it's enjoyable. Stay tuned for Chapter Two: Wistful Thinking; Link's Thoughts. 


	2. Wistful Thinking Link's Thoughts

A/N: Wow, I was so amazed when I got comments on the first day! I thought this story would turn out like the other one that had only one review. I'd like to thank all of the reviewers for reviewing, I was so happy…I was jumping around and I called my dad and step mom and was like, "I got reviews and I just submitted it today! I also have hits!" It made me so happy and encouraged me to keep writing this story. I guess you'd like to read the story now, huh? Okay… But first let me tell you I like the first chpt. a lot more. This is longer than the first and it leads up to where Zelda catches Link looking at her from the window. Oh, by the way, the 'r' button on my mom's laptop isn't working very well. I'll check over the story and make sure words aren't missing an 'r' or two, but there might be a few. I'll let you read now… I hope you enjoy this second chapter.

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Chapter 2: Wistful Thinking; Link's Thoughts

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" an old woman exclaimed happily at a bored and tired Link. The aged skin on the elder's old face wrinkled into a warm smile as she clutched onto a fuzzy puppy. "You returned Poochy-Wookems to me! I thought I'd never see him again!" Link nodded automatically even thought he hadn't heard a word the lady had just said. He was in his own world at the moment. The woman spoke again, "How can I repay you? I know, how about a story?" Again, Link began to nod his head, but when he realized what the woman had said he started to shake his head 'no'. He was too late just by a few seconds. The woman had already begun telling her story. He wished that he would have been paying attention because as the woman's story was extremely boring. It also seemed that the end of the story wouldn't come until the end of the world came. Link really didn't have the time at the moment to be listening to a story about the lady's dog, Poocky-Wokoems, or what ever his name was.

_"Please, someone, save me!"_ Link pleaded in his mind. Luckily for Navi, she was sound asleep snoring lightly in Link's ear._ "I wish I were a fairy. If I were I could be asleep right now too."_ The woman continued to drone on with her terribly boring story, and minutes seemed to pass by like years. _"God, is this woman ever going to stop?"_ He expected an almighty voice to reply 'no' and then to throw a lightning bolt at him to put him out of his misery. Instead of a lightning bolt striking him, a thought did. What else could he be doing besides listening to this blathering old woman? Lately, the only things Link had been doing was training and running errands for people-that's what got him into this mess in the first place. It was all for a good reason though. He wanted to be ready for when Ganondorf decided to attack. Zelda had told Link, a couple of months ago, about a vision that she had seen in which Ganondorf would attack once again.

Speaking of Zelda, Link hadn't seen her since she had told him about the vision. He sure would like to visit her more often, but it seemed the harder he tried, the further away from her he got. Even though it seemed that way, he still loved thinking about her. When he thought about her, he—

Suddenly, or so it seemed to Link who hadn't been listening at all, the old lady had stopped talking. She now stood with her hairy little dog in her arms, stroking his back softly. The dog barked happily a few times, and then began to pant. Was the woman really finished? "And that's how I got Poochy-Wookems!" the lady exclaimed, hugging her small Yorkshire terrier. Link looked at the woman in astonishment and nodded.

Before the lady could say another word, Link jumped onto his chance. "Listen, Ma'am, I really have to go! Thank you for the story and all, but someone is waiting for me," Link said quickly as he made a mad dash for the lady's creaky wooden door. The poor old lady stood dumb-founded as she watched Link run out the door.

Outside, many small frozen snow flakes were falling from the sky. Everything was covered by sparkling, white snow. The very few patches of grass that weren't covered by snow were yellow and winter bitten. Cold winds blew the snow around, adding an icy grip to whatever humanly objects it touched. There was no warmth from anywhere at all. This had to be one of the coldest nights Hyrule had encountered in quite awhile.

"Hey, Link!" Navi yelled in Link's ear, showing that she had awakened from her sleep. The small fairy flew annoyingly around Link's head repeating the same words over and over again.

Link placed his head in his hands. Was today Waste Link's Time and Annoy Him to Death Day? It sure seemed like it to him. Everyone was wasting his valuable time and really testing his nerves. "What do you want, Navi?" Link growled lowly, he was really beginning to get highly agitated. Navi never missed a chance to annoy him. She was helpful sometimes like when—

Wait, where was he going with this? He really needed to start paying more attention, but his mind just couldn't rest. Especially since a girl was in the center of the thoughts in that mind.

Navi's voice interrupted Link's thoughts. "Did you hear me Link? I said that it was late and that you should be finding an inn soon." The blue orb's wings were fluttering quickly as it hovered in font of Link's blue eyes.

"Yeah, I know, but there's one more person I need to see before I hit the sack. You can go back to sleep for now," Link said, swatting Navi away with his hand. As Navi floated towards the brim of Link's green hat she grumbled something about how she was just trying to help. Link chuckled after Navi dozed off and then removed the blue ocarina of time from his pocket. He gazed at the ocarina thoughtfully. Zelda had given it to him when they were young. Sheik had also taught him half of the songs he knew. There was a little bit of both of Zelda and himself in this ocarina, and that's why it was so special to him. Plus, the possibility that Zelda's lips had touched the ocarina was very high. It was probably as close as Link would ever get to a kiss with Zelda. _"Hmm…Me sharing a kiss with Zelda; I wouldn't mind,"_ Link thought, smiling. Then he remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

Link brought the mouth piece of the blue ocarina to his own lips. He moved his numb fingers and blew into the ocarina. The tune he played was Epona's Song. In the dark of the night he heard a soft neigh then the quickly moving clip-clops of hooves on the frozen ground. The _clip-clop_ began to become louder with each passing second until the source of the soft sound was in sight. It was Epona, and everyone knew that she was Link's horse. They often traveled together and many people saw the horse's unique look. Her body of fine coarse hair was a rusty reddish-brown, while her mane, tail, and ankles were either pure white or led from black to white.

Epona's eyes flickered in the moonlight as she neared Link and her gallop turned into a slow trot. She nuzzled her nose against Link's warm arm, glad to see her owner.

"Hey, Epona," Link cooed. _"Zelda usually talks to Epona like that too."_ Link combed his long fingers through Epona's mane then scratched a spot behind her ears softly. Epona neighed in delight to his actions. "Well, Epona, we have to head to Hyrule Town. I know it's cold and late, but I _have_ to make this trip!" Link patted Epona's back a few times, and then he attempted to mount her. The horse kicked her behind legs up unhappily. Link mumbled an apology, and then sighed wearily. _"This is going to be a long ride."_ But it would be totally worth it. He was going to see the person he cared for more than anyone…Princess Zelda.

Once Link finally persuaded Epona to let him mount her they started on their way to the town that loomed in the distance. Icy cold winds sped past him as the horse sped up. Each little cold snow flake burned Link's face as he squinted in the darkness to see ahead of himself. He could already start to see the mote that led to Hyrule Town.

_"Just past these walls is where Zelda will be,"_ Link thought, which kept fresh the idea of being able to see his princess once again. He would do anything for her. Even when she wanted him to do something that seemed impossible he would do it. That thought made Link remember when he and Zelda had first met. They had both been little children with big imaginations. Link had made it past all the castle guards after sneaking into the castle and was finally at the courtyard where Zelda stood. He had walked up to the young princess and stared at her. She was "cute" like Saria or Malon, and the only thing Link ever thought of was being her friend. When Zelda finally spotted him she told him that she had seen a vision about Ganondorf and that no one believed her; just like now. An adventure had sounded fun for a child his age and he eagerly agreed to help the princess and stop the evil king.

Link had soon enough learned that Zelda had not just made up the story of her vision and his adventure, but that it was real. It hadn't turned out all that bad though because he ended up learning so many things and meeting many new people. He had learned about new places, items, and even a little bit about his past, and it was all thanks to Zelda. She turned out to be like a sister back then; Praising him when he received a spiritual stone, wowing over his adventures, and just being plain nice to him. Of course this happiness could not last, and Ganondorf appeared again. Impa rode off with Zelda in her arms, leaving Link to believe that he'd never see his "sister" again. Little did he know that the "sibling love" that he felt for her was not "sibling love", but a love that would torture him for a long time in the future.

After removing the master sword from its pedestal, and giving up seven years of his life, Link started a new adventure. He was guided by a figure named Sheik who, in some odd reason, seemed strangely familiar. Sheik would appear before each temple that Link arrived to. Then each time Sheik would bring out his lyre to teach Link songs for the ocarina of time. At the end of their "music lessons" Link would open his mouth to ask Sheik a question, but Sheik would leave quickly in a puff of smoke leaving Link to wonder who the mysterious man was. Finally, Sheik decided to show his identity, and Link had almost had a heart attack. Sheik wasn't even a 'he'; Sheik was Zelda! Impa had taught Zelda and helped her to become the sheikah that she was, but after being reunited with her Ganondorf stole Zelda away from Link once more. This time Link realized that Zelda wasn't just a sister, but someone that he loved. He really loved her, even after all those years from being apart.

Once more Link was abruptly taken from his nostalgic thoughts as he slammed roughly into something hard. Still dazed, he looked up at what he had hit. It was a building…to be precise it was that retarded mask shop. _"But wait, how did I get here?"_ he thought to himself, looking around at his surroundings. There was still a lot of snow falling, but he could still see familiar people and buildings around him. He was definitely in Hyrule's market place, but it was empty–a very rare sight since the market place was usually always overly crowded with pushy women and cocky men. The only things out tonight were the little wild dogs that were always out barking and running around until the crack of dawn. Actually, there were two guards and the dancing couple out in the cold. The couple was dancing near the fountain in the middle of the market place while the moonlight acted as a spotlight for them. They whispered in each other's ears and laughed every now and then.

It sickened Link as the couple stared into each other's eyes. _"They're acting all lovey-dovey just to show off!"_ Link thought, glaring at the couple. Okay, so Link was a bit jealous. He really wished that he and Zelda were that couple, staring longingly into each other's eyes.

Just then the male partner whispered loud enough for Link to hear, "You are more beautiful than Princess Zelda herself!" The girl in the man's arms giggled softly then whispered something in reply. Link didn't bother to listen to the girl's reply. He was angry at what the man had said to his girlfriend. His girlfriend wasn't even close to being as beautiful as Zelda. In fact, no woman was as beautiful as Zelda.

_"I ought to beat that fool to a pulp!"_ Link could literally feel steam coming from his ears. The only thing that stopped him from killing the man was the two guards watching over the market place. _"Maybe I'll just talk to him another day…in private"_

Now that Link was done being distracted, it was time to head for the castle. It had been awhile since he had last snuck into the castle to see Zelda, and as Link said earlier, he'd like to see Zelda more often. There was a problem with that though. If he visited her too often would she figure out that he liked her? Would it bug her if he visited too much? Zelda might think that he is completely annoying. Maybe she was only using Link for his strength. If Link told her that he liked her there was the very high probability that she'd turn him down. He really didn't like the thought of rejection.

_"Of course, on the other hand, she might also be deeply in love with me,"_ Link thought to himself. A few seconds later he laughed out loud at himself for being so foolish to think that Zelda would love someone like him. Suddenly, Link stopped walking and stood completely still. Someone was near by. He looked to his right to see a castle guard standing about three feet away from him, and the guard was mumbling about hearing someone laugh!

Link finally realized where he was. His feet must have been moving by themselves because he was standing right in the center of the land that led to the castle._ "How did I even get this far into this guard-infested place with out getting caught? I wasn't paying a bit of attention. I really should stop getting distracted by my thoughts of Zelda,"_ Link told himself as he looked to the dark grey castle that stood before him. One window of the castle caught his eye. The silhouette of a lithe figure could be seen in the window. The figure had its hands out as if it were arguing with someone. The shape of the figure's body looked very similar to Zelda's own figure. Link's mind wandered again to Zelda and her beautiful features. She had long golden blonde hair and crystal blue eyes that sparkled when she smiled. Her face was usually smiling when he saw her, and the lips that formed that angelic smile were always a shimmering-pink color. Oh how Link longed to kiss those exquisite lips.

Another thought rushed in on his last thought. Had Zelda already graced someone with a shower of sweet kisses? There had to be many suitors that had tried to steal the heart of such a beautiful person. Zelda had to be in love with someone by now._ "God, why couldn't I have said something to her earlier?"_ he asked himself scornfully. If Link would have told her earlier, and Zelda rejected him then at least he wouldn't have to keep on hiding this secret love that was built up inside of him. _"Why is it so hard to tell her those three simple words?"_ Link had been given many chances to tell Zelda that he loved her, but he had chickened out each and every time. Maybe he could try tonight. If he did, he swore that he would not chicken out.

_ "What if her boyfriend is there?"_ Horrid thoughts continued to lower his will to tell Zelda his feelings. Link almost wished that he had never fallen in love. It was easier to be "in love" as a child. All you did then was gave the girl you liked some flowers, said you liked her, after that the girl would say she liked you, and then you continued on with your life. Love seemed so much more complicated to an 18 year old boy like himself. First, you had to find out if the person liked you. Then you had to flirt with them, but not too much because then the person would figure out that you liked them. (Why were you supposed to keep it a secret that you liked the person? Link had no clue, but that's how it went for some reason.) When you're finally close enough to the person you have to gather up enough courage to tell the person that you like them. That's the part Link was the worst at. He couldn't understand why he could face Ganondorf and evil monsters, but not be able to tell a girl that he liked her.

Link stopped thinking about other things and changed his thoughts to the obstacle ahead of him. He was now standing right under Zelda's window. Since Link had secretly visited Zelda in her room before, he knew exactly what to do. The only hard part was not getting caught by the servants. Zelda's room was on the second floor. Just below, about where Link was, were the servants' quarters. Link squatted down and looked into the very middle of the window. The edges of the window were layered thickly with sparkling clear ice. There was a very slight chance that they would see him. Now Link stood back up onto his tip-toes. He reached up to the window ledge and pulled himself up with all of his might. Navi had awakened and was fluttering around Link's head. Once Link finally made it up to the very small ledge he struggled to stay on, and Navi wasn't helping.

"Hey, Link! What are we doing at Hyrule Castle? Isn't this Princess Zelda's room? Why didn't you tell me we were going to come see her?" Navi continued to ask annoying questions as Link began chipping away at the ice on Zelda's window with his long slender fingers. All of a sudden a huge chunk of ice fell off the window. It fogged up a little, but both Navi and Link could see inside. "OH MY, GOD! Cover your eyes, Link! Don't look! Zelda isn't dressed!" The little fairy kept screaming at Link as she tried to cover his eyes. The more Navi said, the more Link continued to look. Zelda was beautiful. Her body curved in all the right places and her skin looked so pleasantly soft. A light blush crept up Link's cheeks as Zelda removed her top undergarment. Navi was still screaming at the top of her little lungs, but it sounded far away in Link's mind. Link knew he needed to look away. He really, really needed to…look…aw—

_ Thump…thump!_ Navi fell against the window twice as a gust of wind blew strong in their direction. Link was still gawking at Zelda who had now turned to see what the knocking like noise had been. A bright red blush jumped onto her cheeks quicker than you could say skulltula. She was only half dressed and Link was still staring at her. Link's own face began to grown unpleasantly hot.

Zelda had caught him…great. Now she probably thought he was a pervert or a peeping tom. This situation was not good.

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A/N: Well, it was long huh? I hope you enjoyed it though. I'm sorry it took so long but I couldn't work on it very much Sat., Sun., or Mon. I did get the rough draft finished Tuesday though. Umm, I want chapter 3 done by Sunday, but that's probably not going to happen. I have church camp the 3rd through the 7th so that's why I want it done. Well, the next chapter is called "Secret Invitation". Will Link and Zelda confess their love to one another….hmmm….You'll just have to wait and see. ;) Btw, it'll have both characters together, not just one's thoughts….Well thanks I hope you'll stay for the upcoming chapters… See you all soon, serene-moon-princess 


	3. The Secret Invitation

**A/N: I'm glad you've enjoyed my story so far. I'd like to thank you all again for the reviews. I probably won't have the fourth chapter in for a while because of Church Camp, but I'll take my story and work on it during any spare time I have. (during lights out…hee hee hee.) Well that's all I have to say…Here's Chapter three! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

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Chapter Three: The Secret Invitation

Link and Zelda stood in their places staring at each other through the frosty fogged up window in shock. Neither moved an inch as they tried to figure out what to do. Finally, Link decided to turn around from the nude woman before him. He massaged his throbbing temples and sighed as he got onto himself for not looking away earlier when Navi had yelled at him.

When Zelda saw Link turn she turned also and slipped her silky nightgown on completely. She looked to the door that led to the hall, and then glanced at the window where Link was. Zelda wasn't really sure what to do in this situation. Usually she would gladly allow Link to come in, but since he had been peeping in on her, she wasn't sure if she could trust him.

Meanwhile, Link was still struggling to stay sitting on the small ledge of the window. The snow that was falling started to soak through Link's clothes. He didn't seem to notice though. He was still trying to sort out his thoughts. _"God, my timing had been so terrible! Zelda will never trust me again!" _Link thought to himself.

Just then the window opened and Link, who had been sitting back against it, fell through and hit the hard wooden floor in Zelda's room with a loud thump. Link groaned from the unexpected pain that ran down his spine. He heard a small giggle, and looked up to see two crystal blue eyes staring back into his own bright blue eyes.

"Humph, that's what you get for peeping into my bedroom!" Zelda snapped at Link as she folded her arms. She was trying to be mad, but it was so hard when Link's gorgeous face had pain written all over it; He looked like a young child. There was part of Zelda that wished she hadn't opened the window so unexpectedly on Link, but there was also part of her that felt like Link deserved it for staring so intensely at her half nude body.

Link sat up stiffly from the hard wooden floor and cringed at the sharp pain that filled his back. Who knew that falling from such a small height would hurt so badly? Once Link was able to stand again and face Zelda, he arched his back. His back cracked and popped so loudly that it sounded painful. He scratched his head afterwards as he tried to think of what to tell Zelda about him being outside her window.

"Listen, Zelda, I wasn't peeping in at you. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. What I was doing here was coming to say hello since I hadn't seen my 'little sister' in so long," Link explained nervously. He could feel the blush on his cheeks still as he looked at his feet, which had recently become very interesting.

A frown appeared on Zelda's face after Link spoke. His words seemed to echo in her now empty mind. She was still just the 'little sister'. Plus, by what Link said, he had only come to say hello. Link was always so believable, and it was too hard to imagine him sneaking around to look into girl's bedrooms; that just wasn't Link. Really though, Zelda had almost been happy to see Link "peeping" in at her. She thought that it meant that Link might actually like her. At least that question had been answered. Still, maybe if she just told him that she loved him Link would stop calling her his "sister".

There was an awkward silence was neither knew what to say. The only thing that could be heard was the shuffling of Link's feet and footsteps in the hall. Zelda's and Link's eyes met for one short moment, but they looked away quickly. It didn't look like Zelda was going to start up a conversation, so Link began to open his mouth to speak. Before even one little sound could emerge from his mouth, there was a knock at Zelda's mahogany brown door. Zelda quickly put a finger to Link's lips and winked; a signal to be quiet.

"Who is it?" Zelda called to the door. She began to softly walk to the door, glancing at Link over her shoulder.

"Princess, it is I, Impa. I told your father what you said, but he demands that you report to him immediately. He wants to talk about the newest suitor," Impa's voice said the last sentence with a tone of annoyance. She knew what would happen next. Zelda would be having a temper tantrum. It was her father's fault though; he didn't seem to understand that his daughter was in love with someone she chose to love.

Zelda cracked her door open and looked at Impa straight in the eyes showing her that she meant business. "Impa, would you please inform _Father-Dearest _that I am in no way going to talk to another stuck up suitor?" Zelda snapped. "Also tell him that I am in love with someone he wouldn't want me to marry and that if he has a problem with it he can come and talk with me _in person_!" Tears had formed in Zelda's eyes as she yelled in fury. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Link was motioning that he was going to leave. Zelda shook her head 'no' pleadingly. Link nodded understandingly and sat back down in his place.

"Princess, is there someone in there?" Impa asked, trying to look into Zelda's room. Zelda shook her head as a single salty hot tear fell down her cheek. "Alright then, I'll go tell your father what you have said."

Zelda shut her door as Impa walked off down the hall. She slammed her fist against the door and then rested her forehead on it as more tears began falling down her face. _"No, I will not let Link see me cry," _she thought as she attempted to wipe away her tears with her hands.

Suddenly, two warm arms wrapped themselves around Zelda's slim body. They were Link's warm arms and he now stood behind Zelda with his chin resting in the curve of her neck. _"I wish we could stay like this forever,"_ Link thought as he moved his lips to Zelda's ear. "Zelda, it's okay to cry. I'm here for you," he whispered softly into Zelda's ear. Zelda had always been there for Link, so now it was his turn to be there for her.

A slight shudder traveled down Zelda's body as Link's warm breath tickled her neck. This was almost how Zelda had fantasized earlier. She turned to face Link and wrapped her slender arms around Link's muscular body. "Oh, Link, you're the only person who seems to understand me," Zelda cried as she let her tears fall freely onto Link's green tunic.

…:o0Oi.iO0o:…

About 20 minutes later Link and Zelda were sitting comfortably in big soft chairs in front of a dark wooden table. Once Link had calmed Zelda down she explained how her father was rushing her to find a suitor that she could marry, but that she already had someone else that she loved. Now, they were sipping tea and chatting about miscellaneous subjects.

"So," Link began, "who is this guy you have a fancy for?" Zelda was really in love with Mr. Perfect, or whoever he was. Even if Link told her that he loved her, Zelda wouldn't be leaving this guy soon. Across the table that they were sitting at Link could see a small pink blush form on Zelda's face. _"Oh my, God, she is so beautiful with that blush,"_ Link thought gazing at her face. "I promise I won't laugh."

Zelda looked down at her tea cup bashfully. _"Here's your chance to tell Link!" _she thought excitedly. "The guy is y—uhh, no one really special," she mumbled. Zelda quickly took a sip of her tea. "How about you, Link? Don't you have a girlfriend by now? You're pretty popular with the ladies." Zelda then added playfully, "Princess Ruto is your fiancé, right?"

Link chuckled, "Ha ha, actually I do like someone, but I don't know if she likes me back."

"Oh…who is she? Is it Saria or Malon?"

"No way, we're all just friends."

"Oh…"

Another awkward silence befell the two. Maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to bring up the subject of each other's lovers. They did both like each other, but by how they were talking, it seemed that they liked someone neither of them knew—like a mystery person.

Still trying to think of what to talk about, Link began to play with a crumbling sugar cube. Zelda watched Link with a smile. He seemed so childish and pure. Of course, he had been deprived of seven years of his life. After Link had beaten Ganondorf, Zelda had decided to take Link back to his time, but do to some consequences with time overlapping its self and many difficult subjects on the matter Link had to be returned to the future.

"What are you staring at?" Link asked politely. He smiled as he threw the sugar cube at Zelda and it fell down her gown.

Zelda looked up to Link with an angry face "Hey, I was just—" There was another knock at the door interrupting Zelda's sentence. She looked to the door tiredly.

"Zelda, we need to talk…now," a very gruff voice said from the opposite side of the door.

Link stood and gave Zelda a small pat on the back. "I should probably go," he whispered. _"Oh, wait, I still need to tell Zelda about my feelings!" _"Hey, Zelda, I— I'll talk to you later."

As Link began to walk towards the window, Zelda grabbed his wrist. "Wait," she whispered, "I like— I mean I'd like to invite you to a Christmas party. It's for the suitors to talk to me, but if you came I wouldn't feel so alone. My father doesn't know I'm inviting you, but please come. It's nothing fancy, everyone will be dressed up in their armor or clothing such as that. The date it will be held is the 20th, a Saturday next week."

The young boy nodded as he gave her two thumbs up and mouthed that he would be there. The gruff voice of Zelda's father sounded again and Link scrambled to leave the room from the now closed window. He waved, then opened the window and jumped out. Right at that moment Zelda's father opened the door.

"What is this about you and some man?" the mighty king asked, scratching his chin. He was so outraged that he hadn't even noticed his daughter's window that stood completely open, blowing snow inside and around the room.

Zelda only flipped her hair behind her should and stared at her father menacingly. "You heard what Impa said, did you not?" she asked, as her father's face turned red with anger. That's when a war between father and daughter broke loose.

Outside, in the cold freezing snow, Navi was cursing silently under her breath. Link was standing right beside her as he begged forgiveness from the blue little fairy. She had been outside buried in a pile of snow and neither Link or Zelda even thought about her.

"Navi, I'm sorry. We were sorting things out. I promise I'll never forget about you again!" Link said, holding the fairy lightly in his hands. He really didn't know why he was trying so hard to make the fairy forgive him. Link knew that Navi had memory problems and that she wouldn't remember the whole incident by tomorrow. He guessed that he would have felt bad if he had never said he was sorry. It was just the type of guy he was.

"You'd better not leave me again! I was freezing out here! Didn't the Great Deku Tree ever tell you that you were supposed to care for me?" As Navi and Link walked out of the castle yard and then out of Hyrule Town, Navi's small voice was still yelling things at Link about leaving her outside.

Else where, in Hyrule Castle, Zelda was being yelled at by her father. When he heard that she loved someone other that a "perfect" suitor, he could not stand for that. Zelda was not listening though; she was in her own world thinking about the Christmas party that would be occurring soon. Link also was in the same world as Zelda, daydreaming of that party that would happen so very soon.

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**A/N: Well there's the 3rd chapter…I hope you liked it.(I did it a bit quick so that it'd be finished before camp)I'm just glad that I finished it before Church Camp. It's happening this Monday! (I'm so excited) Well, like I said earlier, the 4th chapter won't be in for awhile, and I thank you all for being so patient with me. Be prepared for: (superhero music plays in the background) Chapter 4: At the Party. ;)**


	4. At the Party

**A/N: Hey, everyone, I'm back! Yay! Camp was awesome, but I didn't have much time to work on the story. Then I had to work at my mom's church for VBS most of last week. I wished I could have worked on it more, so that it would have been in earlier, but I couldn't really help it. Uh, let's see, I took more time on this chapter because I didn't really take my time on the last chapter. Thank you all that reviewed for taking time out of your day to review/read on my story! –gives hugs all the people who reviewed- :P Alright, please enjoy my newest chapter!

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Chapter 4: At the Party

It was finally December the 22nd, the day of the Christmas party at Hyrule Castle. The air outside on this day was dry and cold, but the ground had many inches of frozen compacted snow lying on top of it. No snow was falling from the cloudless beryl blue sky, so the sun's bright rays were able shine down on the land and all of the people under it. Small drops of bitterly cold water were descending from the quickly melting icicles that hung on brittle trees and high rooftops. Most of the trees were bare, with brown withered leaves lying at their rough trunks. Those that still held onto a few shriveled leaves were close to dropping the mainly dead remnants. Pine trees still stood with their magnificently jade green needles poking out from its dark branches with only a few brown pine cones lying on the ground next to it.

The majority of Hyrule's inhabitants were inside their homes because of the icy streets and cold weather. Hyrule Castle was the only especially lively place in Hyrule for the time being. The path that led up to the castle was very slippery from the snow that had formed into hard clear ice. Big fancy carriages that were pulled by tough, sturdy stallions lined the path, streets, and every inch around the castle.

A young Hylian man, clothed in green Kokiri garb, Link, was standing before the huge wooden doors of the castle watching in amazement as many different people passed by. There were many men who entered that were wearing shining armor or the attire of their own country. There were also women who entered the castle, and they were dressed in big, puffy gowns. They held their gowns up carefully so that they wouldn't tarnish the fabric in any mud. Some of the women were maids or servants, while others were escorts for the princes.

Many of the guests entering were very stuck up and turned up their noses at the young Hylian hero. Others raised their eyebrows and wondered if he really was the legendary Hero of Time. There were a few citizens from Hyrule who were entering the castle and they waved at Link or greeted him with a smile and hello.

"Hey, listen!" Navi yelled as she seemed to appear from nowhere. The small, light blue fairy was flying excitedly near Link's ear. Before Link could object to Navi's command, the fairy had already begun to speak again. "Link, when are we going to go inside? We've already been standing here for fifteen minutes!"

_"I have been standing here for awhile," _he thought to himself. _"But I don't want to go in. Zelda will be in there, most likely, with that guy she likes, and I wouldn't be able to stand seeing her with him."_ His thoughts made him sigh. He just couldn't stop scolding himself. The thought that he might have had even the slimmest chance of being with Zelda if he would have told her earlier still lingered painfully in his mind.

"HEY, listen!" Navi's voice screeched again. "They're beginning to shut the castle doors! You'd better get in quick!" The once blue fairy was now green and hovering beside the doors that led to the castle. Two guards were ushering the last few people into the castle while another two guards were starting to shut the two large wooden doors that the guests were entering in to.

"Please wait!" Link yelled as he ran towards the slightly closed doors. When the guards heard Link's voice they stood straight up and turned unflinchingly towards the voice. They looked Link square in the eye through their cold silver head piece and nodded; a motion telling Link that he could speak. "Sorry, I need to get in. Is it too late?"

"Even the Hero of Time needs an invitation signed by the king to enter," one guard huffed. They continued to close the doors as the saw Link's confused face. His face had told them that he didn't have an invitation.

Of course there was an invitation. Zelda had said that she was inviting him secretly. How would he get in now? Link looked to his side to ask Navi what they should do, but she was already zooming towards the doors. She flew in between the small crevice of the two doors that were still slightly open. Now Link was left all alone with the two guards. Since he needed to get in, he needed to think up of an excuse for not having an invitation. _"Well, here it goes," _he thought to himself as he began to tell the guards why he did not have "his invitation" with him.

…:o0Oi!.!iO0o:…

Inside the large stone castle, many people were gathered around a young petite woman. Her pink Hyrulean dress flowed to the ground and her long golden locks laid loosely down her back. A fake smile was plastered on her light complexioned face as she spoke to the many suitors around her.

_"Where is Link? Did he decide that he wouldn't come?"_ Zelda thought somberly, _"I wanted him to come so that I could tell him that I love him. I was really going to do it today!" _A slight hint of sadness appeared in Zelda's blue eyes. _"Maybe Link is with the girl that he loves."_ Then Zelda felt a tap on her shoulder. For one split second she thought that it was Link, but when she looked up to the hand's owner it was only Samuel, a suitor from the land of Trinium. Of all the suitors in the world, Zelda disliked Samuel the most. Her father had already tried many times to get herself and Samuel together, and because of that Samuel thought he was best friends with Zelda.

"Zelda—" Samuel began.

Zelda interrupted him by snapping, "I am Princess Zelda or Princess to you."

Samuel's eyebrows raised and he cleared his throat. "Well, _Princess_," he said the word 'princess' with extra emphasis, "I was only wondering if you were alright. You looked a bit sad."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm alright. It's none—" There was a very light pain on Zelda's arm that made her look down. Navi was fluttering around in a circle near Zelda's elbow. "Oh, Navi, are you alright?" Zelda picked the fairy up and placed her on one of her palms. Because of this action the people who were around Zelda began to whisper about how gentle and kind the princess was.

As Navi began to snap out of her daze, she started to hover lightly above Zelda's gloved hand. She shook herself, and then tried to remember what she was doing here. The little blue fairy looked around and saw that she was in Hyrule Castle. Then she remembered why she was here. Link was still outside because he didn't have an invitation!

Zelda pushed a few strands of loose hair behind her ear and looked at Navi quizzically. "Why are you here, Navi? Where's Link?" Zelda asked Navi as she looked around the big ballroom. _"Link has to be near if Navi is here, or maybe Link was injured and Navi came to tell me,"_ Zelda thought as worry struck her mind.

"Hey, listen," Navi shouted to Zelda. "Link is outside, but he can't get in because you didn't give him an invitation!" The small translucent wings on Navi's back were moving quickly in her excitement.

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot to give Link an invitation!" Zelda whispered, angry at herself. She turned to Samuel and the others around her and curtsied. "Excuse me; I have a friend that I must help. I will be right back." As Zelda raced off towards the castle doors she could hear many whispers. They were most likely about how unlady-like she was being, because God forbid that she did something that a princess shouldn't do. She was supposed to act very polite and all that junk. The other thing they could be whispering about was Zelda's friend, Link, but since rumors and whispers didn't bother Zelda she just continued to run in her heels and gown.

When Zelda reached the doors she could hear Link's warm voice. "Zelda really did invite me. You can ask her if she did!" Link's voice argued from the other side of the door. His voice was like music to Zelda's ears. He had really decided to come.

One guard's voice replied to Link, "I think, Link, that the princess would not invite you because you are not a su—"

"Do not say suitor." Zelda commanded as she pushed the doors open and stepped out into the bright sunlight. She turned to the guard who had retorted to Link's statement. "I _did_ invite Link, thank you very much, and to be honest I'm sick and tired of everyone talking about suitors. I would appreciate it if you would trust Link, and stop bringing suitors into every conversation!"

The guard bowed. "Sorry, Princess. It shall not happen again."

Zelda nodded, and then motioned for Link to come inside. Link didn't dare refuse. He didn't want to be chewed out by Zelda like she chewed out that guard. She was pretty cute when she was angry though.

The two walked into the warm castle. The sweet smell of food cooking and perfume flowed through the air. The castle was decorated with Christmas wreaths, big red bows, and many silver, gold, red, and green ribbons. Mistletoe was hanging under every door, tied with small scarlet bows. A large Christmas tree was standing in the corner of the ballroom they were standing in and it was decorated with many shimmering ornaments. Crystal chandeliers with white candles sparkled brightly, showering the room with a warm light.

"Wow, it looks great in here," Link commented. He looked over to Zelda, who sighed. "What's wrong, Sis? You told me to come so that you wouldn't be lonely." Zelda winced when Link said 'sis'. She didn't want to be close to him in "that" way.

Zelda looked up to Link and rolled her eyes. "I do not want to be here."

"Smile for me, Zelda," Link pleaded, giving her a puppy dog face.

This made her giggle and her bright smile appeared on those wonderful pink lips of hers. She gave Link a hug as "thanks" for making her happy, but she really just wanted to get close to him. The hug made Link blush and chuckle, and Zelda smiled up at him as the blush grew.

"Why can _he _call you Zelda?" Samuel's voice asked. Zelda turned around and looked straight into Samuel's dark brown eyes. He was waiting for an answer. "You even give him hugs. Does Daddy know about this?"

Zelda stared at Samuel with malice in her eyes. She wished so badly that he would fall off his horse and paralyze himself. "Link is like a brother to me. You are only a suitor, who wishes that you could be as close to me as Link. My father knows about him. He's saved Hyrule many times. You, Samuel, have no courage to do anything. You can't even face your own problems!" Zelda turned from Samuel and faced Link. She mumbled something about Samuel and began to walk towards another guest.

The guest was a young man around Zelda's age; another suitor. Link walked up to the man and Zelda, and listened to their conversation. It was mostly about the peace between Hyrule and the man's land, Felen. The man explained that he already had a lover in Felen, but his parents didn't know. He didn't want Zelda to be offended if he didn't seem interested in her. Zelda said that she understood and that she was in the same situation.

Link was secretly waiting to see Zelda's lover. She must have invited him. He seemed pretty special to her. Maybe she invited him and he didn't show up. That would break Zelda's heart. _"If I were Zelda's lover, I would be by her side as much as possible,"_ Link thought as he watched Zelda begin to speak with a few more men. After ten more minutes of talking to them, all of the men being suitors, she left them and walked over to a group of girls that were chatting. When Zelda arrived she began to whisper to them. Two of the girls glanced up at Link and giggles. Five more minutes passed by, and Zelda finally departed her giggly, girly, group.

"The like you, Link," Zelda whispered, winking. She grabbed Link's hand and pulled him towards a table that had many drinks sitting on it.

Link smiled and replied, "Oh really? Well where's your man? You invited him, right?" He picked up two glass cups filled with a bright red liquid and gave one to Zelda.

Zelda thanked Link as she took a sip. "I did invite him, and he showed up."

"Why haven't I met him yet?" Link pouted.

"You have, I guess, but I've been so busy with other people that I haven't been able to spend much time with him."

Link's eyebrows rose unbelievingly. "Are you sure this guy is real?"

Zelda nodded her head lightly, and then looked up to Link. "We need to talk, Link." She scanned the room over to see if any one was watching her, then she took one of Link's warm hands for her own small one.

As Link was pulled toward a door on the side of the ballroom many thoughts entered his mind. One of them was why were they leaving the ballroom to talk? _"What does she want to talk about? I hope it's not going to be that she wants me to stay away from her. Maybe her lover doesn't want me around and Zelda is just going to tell me,"_ Link thought, looking to the woman of his thoughts.

There was a very light pink blush on Zelda's cheeks, and her eyes shone with determination. In her mind, though, she was unsure about what she was doing. _"I can't believe I'm going to tell him. I've finally mustered up enough courage to do it! But what if the words don't come out? What if I end up saying something else? Maybe I should just turn around now." _Her thoughts made her heart race and her stomach to feel jittery inside. The last thought of turning around and running away sounded almost like Heaven. "No, there's no turning back now," she whispered softly, to herself.

"What did you say?" Link asked, still worried that Zelda would soon abandon him.

"Nothing!" she muttered as she opened the door and led Link into the hallway that followed. They began to walk further down the hall, and soon the sound of the chattering people in the ballroom began to die out. The two were alone for now. Zelda stopped walking and faced Link. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a voice called her name. Both, Link and Zelda turned to see who it was.

Impa stood in her normal pose; arms crossed and legs slightly apart. "Where are you headed to, Princess? You still have guests to attend to," She reminded Zelda. Even though Impa knew how much Zelda despised suitors, she knew that Zelda needed to at least speak to all the suitors so the peace with their country and Hyrule would stay well.

The young Hylian princess was struggling to think of an excuse. She definitely couldn't tell Impa that she was going to her room to tell Link that she loved him. That was completely out of the question. In fact, that was so out of the question that she didn't even know why she had thought of it.

"Excuse me, Impa, may I speak?" Link's voice rang in Zelda's ears like music from the angels. He was going to save her!

Impa smiled at Link's politeness. She didn't get much of that from around here. The princess was the only semi polite one that resided in the castle. "You don't have to be so formal with me, Link. I know you well enough to be sharing a normal conversation with you." The sheikah woman patted Link on the shoulder. "You're a good kid, though."

Link laughed his usual hearty laugh, "Thank you, Impa, you're too kind! As I was going to say, Zelda was taking me up to her room so that I could get my fairy ocarina. I must have dropped it, and she found it. That ocarina is very special to me, and I couldn't wait to get it back."

"Yeah, he lost it, and I found it one day in, uh, the market place…I snuck out of the castle," Zelda agreed, as she continued the lie.

"Princess, if your vision was real, it is not safe to be out in public by yourself!" Impa warned Zelda.

"I went out as Sheik. No one knew who I was!" Zelda pointed out.

"Ganondorf and Link know," Impa interjected.

"Ganondorf I understand, but Link?"

"Just make sure you're careful. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." With that, Impa turned and began to walk to where ever she was headed to before.

Zelda turned to Link and gave him a sigh of relief. "Thanks for helping me out there!"

Link nodded, but then crossed his arms. This was beginning to become tiresome. He just wanted to know what she had to say. "So, what is it that you want to tell me?"

"I, uh, will tell you I my room. I don't want anyone to overhear this," Zelda whispered. She took Link's hand again, and began to pull him down the hall. The passed many wooden doors that were on both sides of the hall. Lit candles lined the hall, serving as the only lights. A few vases, paintings, and small statues sat on wooden stands or marble pedestals. The whole corridor was so silent it was eerie, and the only sound made was that of Link and Zelda's footsteps.

They turned a corner that led to a stone staircase. There was a stained glass window at the top landing of the stairs that had light beaming through it. The many colors of the glass landed on anything that the light touched. As the two Hylians walked up the steps they were showered by this multicolored light.

They reached the top landing which led out to another long hallway, but they only traveled a few steps until they stopped at a dark mahogany door. At the door, Zelda began to open the door. That was when her heart really started to pound. She was so afraid that Link would reject her as soon as she told him, but she couldn't quit now. If she let her feelings get in her way she'd never be able to tell him.

Link was dealing with his own thoughts too. Maybe, before Zelda told him to leave or whatever she was going to say, he could tell her that he loved her. That's all he would do though. She was already someone else's girlfriend.

Zelda cleared her throat lightly, not to get Link's attention, but to clear the weird feeling that was stuck in her throat. Link was wakened from his deep thoughts by the soft noise, and he looked around the room. He was in Zelda's room now, but he would've known that even without his eyes. The smell of her sweet perfume lingered in the room, giving away who owned it.

"Link, about what I needed to tell you…" Zelda began as she nervously played with her fingers. The feeling of butterflies in her stomach in her stomach returned, and her head felt foggy.

"Wait, Zelda, I have something I need to say too," Link interrupted. "I—"

He was stopped by one of Zelda's gloved fingers covering his lips. "No, please let me go first," she pleaded. Being the gentlemen that he is, Link nodded his head telling her to continue. "Link," she whispered, as she looked him straight in the eyes. _"Do it, come on, do it now!" _Zelda placed her hand on Link's cheek. "I love you!" She stood on her tip-toes and placed her lips on his. The soft warmth of their lips meeting was what they both had desired for so long.

As she parted from the kiss, she looked to see Link's expression. His face was filled with shock. He stood in his spot dazed. He just couldn't believe that Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, a taken woman, had just kissed him.

The two stared at each other; Link in shock and Zelda in fear. Neither knew what would happen next. Neither expected what happened next to actually happen.

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**A/N: Whew, that was hard. I'm typing this with fake nails on and I've been painstakingly trying to have them not fall off. :'( Well, it's finished anyway. I'm sorry that took so long… I really would've liked for it to be in earlier. I haven't decided what the next chpt will be called, but it might be 'I Love You'. I just don't know yet…. I hope you enjoyed it. :D The next chapter will be pretty exciting (I think) so be prepared! Yayyyy! Alright, see you in Chapter 5!**


	5. Let's Be Together

**A/N: Well, just so you know, this will probably be the worst chapter in the story. I've never done anything that has romance in it besides regular kisses and hugs. (I'm only 13! Don't get mad…:'( ) So this is my first attempt at doing anything that has a little more than kisses in it…I didn't want to make it a lemon though because I don't think I'd be good at writing lemons, nor did I want to offend anyone who dislikes lemons and is currently reading the story. (But, if a lot of my reviewers really want a lemon… I can try, but I'm not promising anything good. Just an embarrassing chpt) Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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_The two stared at each other; Link in shock and Zelda in fear. Neither knew what would happen next. Neither expected what happened next to actually happen._

**Chapter 5: Let's Be Together**

Link and Zelda stood in an awkward silence. There were tears in Zelda's eyes because she was positive Link was going to reject her, and Link was still trying to contemplate what was going on. Things had been going so fast. Link hadn't been expecting that. He thought Zelda would always stay true to her lover, but here she was, announcing her love for him.

Zelda took Link's hands in her own and looked into his eyes. The tears that she had been holding back in her own eyes were now beginning to fall lightly. Her cheeks were flushed and she sniffed in between her words as she spoke. "I really do love you, Link. I've loved you for so long."

Link looked to the girl of his dreams in disbelief. This just couldn't be happening. She loved another man, she couldn't love to. He wouldn't be apart of Zelda's affair no matter how much he loved her. It would be good for both of them if they went their separate ways now. "Zelda, no, this isn't right," he whispered, as she moved his hands to his sides and looked away.

Pain filled Zelda's beautiful blue eyes, but she continued on with her story. "You know those seven years that you lost in the Spirit Realm? Well, while you slept, I trained in the way of the Sheikah. I was unable to pass one part of the training to become an official Sheikah. In order to be a Sheikah, you must change everything about yourself; the way you look, your personality, your thoughts. I, as Sheik, couldn't stop thinking Zelda's thoughts. My thoughts of you, if you were safe, were the only things I could think about. The one night, Impa told me of your whereabouts. I had been so relieved to hear that you were in Rauru's safety that I passed my training the next day. It paid off too, because I was chosen to be the Sheikah that led you through your journey, and since that first day we met in the Temple of Time, I knew that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life."

The young hero smiled lovingly at his princess. He remembered clearly when he and Sheik had first met and all the times after that. There had always been a bond between the two even though he didn't know Sheik was Zelda. Then when he found out the Sheikah's identity, he had wanted to reach out and hold the girl that he had wanted to see for so long. He didn't know what had happened to the princess in those seven years he had slept, but she had finally appeared safely before him.

Once again Zelda was here in front of him, but this time she was prepared to jump into his awaiting arms. His own arms began to move towards her waist, so that he could pull her towards him. He really just wanted to share many of those sweet kisses like the one he had previously experienced. The closer he got to her, the more he craved her. His head began to dip down for a kiss, and his arms were wrapped around Zelda's slim body. Just as Link felt the small puffs of her breath on his lips he remembered why he had been so shocked with their first kiss.

Link removed himself from the hold he had Zelda in and pushed himself away from her. Zelda gasped, taking this action as Link rejecting her. "Zelda, how can we have a serious relationship and feel secure about it? You have that guy that you love, and I only have you to dream about. That's the way it'll have to be, because I won't steal you away from your lover," Link concluded, looking away from Zelda before he tried anything he would regret later. No matter how much he loved her, he just couldn't be with Zelda when she already had a lover.

Zelda chuckled, her tears beginning to dry. _"So that's why he's so reluctant to be with me," _she thought happily. At least, from what she could tell, she knew that Link loved her also. Since her "lover" was the problem here, she could just explain to Link that the man was nonexistent. "Link, my 'lover' was you the whole time! I've been too shy to tell you, so I made someone up, thinking that you'd figure it out. There is no way I could be with someone else, when I love you so much." This time, Zelda took control of the situation. She placed her hands on the back of Link's head and pushed him closer to her. Their lips were almost together again, when Zelda stopped her approach. "Make me yours tonight," she whispered, crashing her lips into Link's.

A low moan escaped Link's lips as he brought Zelda closer to him. Their bodies were pressed together tightly as the kiss intensified. Zelda's hands were still pushing on the back of Link's head, while Link's arms wrapped around her waist once more. Neither wanted to separate from the kiss, but the lack of oxygen that they were receiving caused some problems and both broke apart. The two panted for breath, still holding each other close.

Even though Link had no problem with what was probably soon to come, he needed to make sure that Zelda really wanted to do it. She was the princess of Hyrule, and if the people found out that she and the Hero of Time were doing "things" together, it might not look good on either of their names. If Zelda decided that she didn't want it to happen, then Link wouldn't force her to. He just learned that she loved him; he didn't want her to push him away.

"Zelda," Link began as he moved his lips to her neck. His warm breath sent a chill down Zelda's spine, but she attempted to listen to what Link had to say. "Are you sure you want to do this? If you want to change your mind, you can at anytime."

"I want to do this tonight, Link. I love you, and I'm positive you're the person I want to live my entire life with," Zelda replied, resting her head on Link's brawny chest. He was so warm; just as she had always imagined. She was sure that she wanted to be Link's tonight.

There was a loving smile on Link's face as he looked down to the goddess in his arms. Nayru, Din, nor, Farore could replace the Zelda. "I love you, too, Zelda. I love you more than anyone," Link confessed. Zelda looked up at him happily, and he brought his face to hers. "I mean it, too."

Their lips met again in a passionate kiss. This time Link's mouth opened under Zelda's and his tongue began to force its way into her mouth. He began to lead her to the silky bed that was awaiting the new couple. They took small steps toward the bed, enjoying their kiss and the feeling of the other's exploring hands on their still clothed bodies.

They reached the bed, which to the couple seemed to have taken years, and Link laid Zelda down on it, face up. As Link leaned over her to kiss her face and neck, Zelda's hands went up to his chest to begin to remove his tunic from his tan body.

More clothes were removed from each of their bodies until each was completely nude on the bed. Things were happening to both lovers that had never happened to them before, and they felt feelings that neither had ever experienced. The couple made love as the night went on, and the thoughts of the party that was being held were obsolete.

…:o0Oi!.!iO0o:…

Warm sunlight shone in through the windows in Zelda's room, waking Link from his slumber. Link could feel the warm rays cover one side of his body; the other side was kept warm by the girl snuggled next to him. He looked down at Zelda's angelic face as she slept, and he smiled. There wasn't a man in Hyrule who was luckier than him. The woman he had secretly loved for so long was now lying beside him, completely undressed. How could he have ever guessed that he would end up being Zelda's lover?

Squinting his eyes, Link looked over to the window that was showering sunlight into the room. To think that if he hadn't snuck in to see Zelda a week ago, he wouldn't be here now. As Link's eyes adjusted to the light, he could see out to Hyrule Town. In the market place people were running away and smoke was billowing from somewhere. _"Maybe it's just a fire,"_ he thought, rising from his position on the bed. He leaned over and took his tights from their place on the floor. Quickly, but quietly, he slipped them on and walked over to the window.

A fire had broken loose in the market, just as Link had thought, but something else was down there. Small, dark figures seemed to be the cause of all the chaos so early in the morning. (Okay, so maybe 11 in the morning wasn't very _early_.) They scampered around, chasing the citizens and burning many objects that were dropped and left lying on the ground. The dark figures seemed very nonhuman, especially with their red eyes and the horns that were sticking out from their scrawny backs.

"_Looks like I'll have to go now,"_ Link thought with a sigh. He had really wanted to say goodbye to his now sleeping angel in a more proper manner, but he had to save Hyrule, so who cared about his love life? Link groggily searched for his clothing that was scattered among a mess of his and Zelda's clothing. Five minutes later, he was finally fully dressed. Now it was time to write a note to Zelda.

Link found a piece of parchment and a quill, and began to write the note. He placed it on the pillow he had been lying on, and then looked to Zelda, who was still fast, asleep. A smile was on her face, and he stroked the smooth skin of her cheek with his fingertips. Then, he placed a soft kiss on her slightly curved lips. With one last glance to his princess, he turned and headed for the window.

It was time for him to save Hyrule now. He would have to talk with Zelda later, and with a sigh, he began to climb out of the window and towards Hyrule Market.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was fun. :D I hope you enjoyed it… I'm glad I got it in today, because tomorrow my dad is picking me up and I'm heading back to W.V. Then we're going to Geauga Lake with my friend, brothers, dad, and stepmom. So I won't have this in for a little bit. I also have v-ball camp the 31st through the 4th. It last from 9 to 3, so I won't be doing much writing then either, and if I make v-ball team, that's more time I won't have to write. I promise though, I will try my hardest to get these chapters in as quickly as possible. I've been staying up to get them done lately, but I won't be able to do that anymore. (With school and v-ball starting…I need my sleep.) ((that was all just a heads up)) So with that said, I'll be going now. I'll try to get -Chapter 6: Don't Go Without Me- in ASAP. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I thank you for the updates you gave me on the last chapter. You all encourage me to keep writing.:)) **

**Much thanks, everyone….see you around… **


	6. Don't Go Without Me

**A/N:'( I don't have Microsoft Word! It makes me sad. I'm back in WV with my dad and his computer doesn't have Word, so I'll have to survive with Works Word Processor. Anyway, thanks for all of your support and comments on the last chapter, I'm so glad you commented. You guys are the best reviewers/readers ever:P I'm sorry this took so long, but I've been in volleyball camp (which lasted 6 hours for 5 days), and last week was my only free week to write, because this week I have volleyball tryouts for school. Whew, so that's my excuse of this taking so long. I'll let you read now. I hope you enjoy it. :D **

**Chapter 6: Don't Go Without Me**

A bruised and bloody Link stood before Ganondorf, the evil Gerudo king. Zelda's vision had been true; Ganondorf was back, and it was up to Link to defeat him. He gripped the Master Sword tightly in his calloused hands, attempting to stand in a fighting stance, but he was weak from the amount of blood that he had lost. The wounds on his body were gushing out the bright red liquid that Link hated seeing. Even though he was a warrior, the blood and gore from his own body always made him a little queasy.

Ganondorf laughed boisterously at the young blonde Hylian who was now on his knees, almost bowing before him. "This is the end for you, Link!" he hissed as one of his dark arms extended toward Link. Malice was shining in Ganondorf's eyes and a wicked smile began to form on his face.

Before Link could even think about putting up his shield, a blast of dark energy shot out from Ganondorf's hand and hit him directly in the middle of his chest. Blood trickled down the corner of Link's mouth as his eyes widened in shock. The worn and bloody warrior fell face forward onto the ground and drew his last breath. Ganondorf had finally won. The sky above him turned dark and the land began to die. Hyrule was becoming a land of darkness once again, soon to be ruled by the evil king.

…:oOi!.!iOo:…

A cold sweat had formed on Zelda's forehead as she sat up in her bed with a jolt. She looked around at her surroundings, and breathed a sigh of relief. _"It was just that dream again,"_ she thought, rubbing her eyes. Just to make sure that her conclusion was correct, she looked out her window. The sky was still its usual cerulean blue. A feeling of relief filled her body and she let her head fall back down onto her fluffy pillow. Even though everything seemed okay, there was still something wrong. Uncertainty was still lingering in Zelda's mind. _"Maybe Link can help comfort me."_

Zelda looked over to the once occupied spot at her side to find it empty. Her hands went up to cover her wide open mouth before she went completely numb. She wanted to scream or cry, but nothing would come out. She wanted to move, but the numbness that had overcome her body wouldn't let her. The sight of the bloody and dead Link from her dream began to flash before her eyes. This wasn't fair; she had told Link that she loved him just last night. How could the Goddesses take him away from her so soon?

_"This is just a dream…I'm still in the dream!" _Zelda tried to convince herself. _"I'm going to shut my eyes and go back to sleep. When I wake up, Link will be lying beside me smiling and still very alive." _The princess closed her eyes, praying that she really was still in the dream. She tried to fall back asleep, but found that sleep didn't come easily. Her mind was still overflowing with emotions and thoughts. _"If I take one more look, maybe he will be there." _With that decision, she slowly leaned towards Link's pillow and began to open her eyes. Instead of finding Link there, she found a folded piece of parchment with her name written on it in very sloppy writing.

Still unsure if Link was alright, Zelda gave a shaky sigh and smiled. The letter would probably tell her where Link was. She slowly extended one arm towards the letter and grasped it with her slender fingers. Carefully, she unfolded the note and began to read the sloppy handwriting that was on the parchment.

It read:

_Dear Zelda,_

_I'm sorry I could not wake up to see your smiling face. I awoke early this morning to find some monsters causing trouble in the market place. I'll be back soon. Please stay inside where it is safe._

_I love you very much,_

_Link_

Zelda read over the short letter a few times, then laughed. Link really expected her to stay inside the castle while he fought? There was no chance that she would do that. She too was a skilled fighter, and if something bad happened to Link while she was sitting around in the castle, she would feel horrible. Anyway, Link would probably like some human company; Navi could easily get on anyone's nerves.

_"Alright, Link, I've made up my mind, and I'm coming to help!" _Zelda thought, jumping out of her bed and dressing in her usual pink dress. She then crossed her arms into the shape of a 't' and began to focus her power. The golden triforce symbol began to glow on the back of her hands and her body and clothes started to loose their color. There was a flash of light and Princess Zelda was replaced with the legendary Sheikah warrior, Sheik.

The figure that now appeared to be male was garbed in blue Sheikah attire and a white cloth covered her nose to her chin. The sign of the all-knowing eye of truth was painted red on white cloth that led from her face cover down to her torso. Bandages were wrapped around her fingers, arms, and ribs where some body parts weren't fully healed, and on her head there were more bandages that let her blonde hair flow from under it. All that could be seen of the Sheikah's face were her red eyes and blonde hair. Her Sheikah identity was to be mysterious and unknown to everyone; no one could know what a Sheikah's face looked like. To see a Sheikah's face would be a disgrace to them.

The Sheikah grabbed a navy blue cloak from her wooden coat hander and began to cover herself in the hooded cloth. A knock at the door stopped her, though, and she stood stock-still, waiting for the person on the other side to speak.

"Princess, may I come in? We need to talk," Impa's voice called, as the door knob began to rattle. Sheik glanced around the room trying to find a place to hide. If Impa found her as Sheik there would be many question asked that she didn't want to answer. She looked around and saw her bed that had sheets draping over one side and they were in a pile on the floor. If she could get there fast enough she would be able to hide under the sheets. She bent her knees and jumped back into a back flip, landing in a squatting position beside the bed just as the door began to open.

Impa entered just as Sheik finished covering her self with the sheets on the floor. "Zelda, are you in here?" Impa asked, stepping into the room. She looked around the room, seeing no one in sight and Zelda's unmade bed. "I should make Zelda's bed for her, and then I'll go find her. Maybe she went to get something to eat. It's unusual for her to be up this early, though," she murmured to herself, as she walked towards the bed.

That's when Sheik began to panic. Her childish hiding spot was soon to be found out. Then she'd have to answer all of the annoying questions she knew Impa would ask. Impa would ask her why she was hiding, where was she going, why was she going there, how did she know Link was in trouble…plus there would probably be many more that even Sheik couldn't think of. If Impa found out that she was seeing Link, their relationship would be doomed. Impa would end up telling her father, and her father would forbid her to see him.

As Impa reached over the bed and grasped the sheets that Sheik was under, she suddenly stopped. "I'll just let Zelda take care of this. Some more work will do her good," Impa said, as she began to walk back towards the door. She stopped in the doorway and grinned mischievously. "Did you hear that, Sheik? Remember to make your bed. I don't know what you're up to, but I'll make sure to keep an eye on you!" The older woman then closed the door and began to walk down the hall.

Sheik continued to lay under the sheets, wondering how Impa had found her out. _"I was perfectly hidden!"_ she thought, as she looked and her arms and legs to see if any part of them were out from under the sheets. _"Alright, there's two hands covered, and I see one foot, so how did- Wait! Where's my other foot?" _Okay, so she hadn't been "perfectly hidden". There had been a small flaw in her hiding spot, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. She needed to get out of the castle and accompany Link.

With that thought, Sheik stood up and threw the sheets onto her bed. Then she put the hood of her cloak on her head and wrapped the navy blue cloth around her. She went to her window and opened it, feeling the dry air whip the small amount of skin that was visible on her face. Checking quickly to make sure Impa hadn't sent any extra guards to patrol the area around her window, the Sheikah glanced down to the snowy ground below her. There was no one even near her window, so she jumped out and landed in a pile of soft snow. Her feet, which were improperly dressed for winter weather, sank deep into the cold snow, and her feet immediately began to feel numb. She would never know how Link could travel in any weather without giving up early on in his adventures; the mere cold on her feet now made her want to run back to her room and warm herself under her soft, warm, bed sheets. The thought of Link kept her going, though, and she began to trudge through the ice and snow.

…:oOi!.!iOo:…

Another devil-like monster jumped out towards Link with its claws extended and fangs glistening with saliva. Link swung at the monster with the Master Sword and cut the creature in half. The creature gave a high-pitched scream as it began to crumble into ashes. Two more came, both headed for Link. Their beady red eyes followed his every move as if they were analyzing him.

"Navi, where are they coming from!" Link yelled, slicing the two in half. They were extremely easy to kill, but when tons of them attacked the easily became very annoying. The cold weather that Hyrule was experiencing wasn't helping Link's aggravation either. He wanted to be in bed with Zelda snuggled up beside her like she was this morning. Leaving her today had made him feel so bad.

"Hey, Link, are you listening?" Navi asked, making sure her sentence had her favorite three words in it. "These creatures seem to be coming from a portal that leads to some dark land, and because if that the portal has an immense amount of dark energy radiating from it. So unless you can somehow withstand the energy, you won't be able to get near it." The fairy fluttered near Link's right shoulder as she announced what she knew.

Link looked over at her to thank her, but in that short amount of time, a creature was able to grab onto his hand and knock the Master Sword from it. Another one jumped onto Link's chest, causing him to loose his balance and fall on his back. The creature on his chest put one sharp claw against his neck and the other creatures snickered in delight. Beads of sweat began to form on Link's forehead and slide down his smooth face. He held his breath, expecting the worse, but there was a flash then smoke, and many of the creatures fell over and began to turn into ash as the first had. A cloaked figure was standing in front of him, its arm extended towards him.

"When faced with great danger, we cannot help but think of the past. Regrets may linger in our hearts, but we also remember the happiness our lives had held. That's when we realize that life had a purpose, and wish we would have known it earlier. Help comes to those who realize this, and Hero, you have gained that help," the cloaked person stated poetically. It took Link's hand and pulled him up to a standing position.

"Sheik, what are you doing here?" Link asked, completely blowing Sheik's cover.

Sheik removed her cloak and took a fighting stance. "There's no time to explain! Grab your sword and fight." The Sheikah warrior began her massacre of the vile little creatures as Link ran for his sword. "Where are these things coming from?"

Navi began to tell about the portal, but Link cut in on her long explanation. "Here's a long story short," Link began, trying also to concentrate on fighting. "They're coming from a portal, but there is so much dark energy around it that we can't get near it to enter in it or destroy it."

A creature jumped out at Sheik from a dark corner. The Sheikah jumped up with great speed and kicked the monster in the face with her heel. She hit another monster that came from behind her with her hand, and then after stunning the two, she threw two sharp daggers at them, finishing them off. Their ugly little bodies shriveled up as they began to turn to ash, and Sheik dusted her hands as if what she had done wasn't a big deal. "Why don't we just to try to shoot a light arrow into the portal? Something so pure, but so strong will overwhelm it," Sheik informed Link. "The only problem is finding where it's located. Navi, can you find the portal for us?"

Navi said something, but Link didn't hear it. He was staring at Sheik in amazement at how she had fought. It was hard to believe that she could move so quickly, while also seeming to know where all of her enemies were. Still not paying attention as Navi and Link began to run off towards the portal, Link stood glued to his spot, watching Sheik run off.

"Hey, Link, we must hurry!" Navi shouted, flying into his hand a numerous amount times. Link snapped from his thoughts and saw that Sheik was looking at him with question in her eyes. The hero blushed scratching his head. He guessed she had seen him staring at her. Sheik caught her lover's blush and when they made eye contact once more, she winked one of her red eyes flirtatiously. "Let's go now!" Navi said, trying to hurry the two along.

The two Hylian warriors nodded in unison as they began to follow the small blue fairy down a large number of alleyways in Hyrule Town. Their feet made soft taps on the ground as they ran, and it, plus the sound of their heavy breathing echoed against the walls of the houses that lined the small, empty alley. The alley had been abandoned: a good sign that something was happening near by.

Navi turned left down a slightly larger alley leading Sheik and Link to an open spot in the middle of many houses and shops. One dead, brittle tree stood in the barren space along with, what looked like, a large black hole floating in the air. The evil energy that was coming from it seemed to suck away the energy of anything that was near it.

Link drew his sword and prepared to run in and attack the portal. "It's not that bad, is it? I'll charge in quickly, then come back just as fast," he assumed, taking a step towards the portal.

Sheik put her arm in front of Link, stopping him, then yelled out for him to wait. She then stated, "The eye does not see power. It is our heart that sees what is truly powerful." The Sheikah paused for a moment as she removed a deku nut from her pocket. "Please observe." She then threw the dark red deku nut out towards the portal. Before it could even hit the ground, it withered up ad turned brown. It hit the ground and broke apart, but it didn't cause a giant flash, just a little bit of dust emerged from it. "That, my friend, is some powerful dark energy. Deku nuts _never_ loose their energy so easily. You must try the light arrow. Do not get any closer to it than necessary."

Link nodded as he sheathed his sword, and then removed his bow and magic powder. He dipped the end of an arrow into the powder, and it began to sparkle gold. With the arrow ready he placed it with his bow, and pulled back the arrow and string of the bow. The arrow began to shine with a golden light as Link summoned his energy to it, and then he released the arrow and string. As the golden arrow flew through the air, dark energy shot out from the portal and engulfed the light, causing the air to fall to the ground.

Shocked, Link turned to Sheik. "Now what do I do?"

"Hand me your bow, arrows, and magic powder," Sheik commanded, holding out her bandaged hands. "I'm going to take care of this.

Taking her words as an insult to his ability of what he was able to do, Link placed his archery gear back to its place. "No. Anyway, you probably don't even know how to use it."

Sheik's eyes rolled in anger. She then bent low and jumped up and landed behind Link. "I'm too fast for you, Link," Sheik said, grinning slyly. The warrior had already taken the items she needed from Link.

Link's jaw dropped. He couldn't figured out how Sheik had done it all in 5 measly seconds. One of his eyebrows raised as Sheik preformed the same procedure of setting the bow up as Link had. "What are you going to do?" He asked, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop her even if he tried.

"I have to stick the bow into the portal, then release the light arrow while it's inside. The dark energy is surprisingly weaker inside."

"Hey, listen! If you go near it, you'll get killed!" Navi screamed, fluttering around Sheik's face in a panic. As soon as Navi finished her sentence, Link grabbed onto Sheik's wrist. He looked into her eyes, pleading her not to go.

Sheik only chuckled, and then kissed Link on the cheek through her face cover. Then she looked at the portal. "Here it goes!" she said, breaking away from Link's grasp, and jumping towards the portal. She landed about a foot away from the portal's entrance; just enough for her to get the bow into it. The only problem was trying to lift the bow up. She had already lost so much strength that it was hard to stand. In the background she could hear Link's voice yelling for her. He was the reason she was doing this. She knew that if he would have attempted this, he wouldn't have been able to continue his journey for weeks…maybe even months. With the thought of Link in her mind, strength began to come back to her, and she smashed the bow into the portal's entrance, and released inside, a single light arrow.

The cracked ground below them began to rumble and shake, and because of this harsh movement and Sheik's fatigue, Sheik's legs buckled and she fell to a heap on the ground. Her vision went blurred, then everything went dark. The portal beside her limp body was beginning to close, and the shaking settled down. Things were back to normal for now.

Link immediately ran for the Sheikah warrior as the portal closed completely. He shook her lightly, and her eyes slightly opened, their once cherry red color was now dull. "Sheik? Please tell me you're alright. You can't just leave me here! I love you, Zelda! I love you so much!" The young Hylian hero began to shed large tears. He couldn't remember ever crying before in his whole life. His tears had never fallen; he wouldn't let them. But now, when what all he lived for was dying, he let them fall freely. Link embraced the limp figure of his lover tightly, not wanting to let go.

In Sheik's eye there was joy. The Goddesses had blessed her with a man she didn't deserve and she was thankful. "Link," she whispered, gasping for air, "I-I love you, too." Her eyes shut once again as darkness consumed her. _"When faced with great danger, we cannot help but think of the past. Regrets may linger in our hearts, but we also remember the happiness our lives had held. That's when we realize that life had a purpose, and wish we would have known it earlier. Now, Goddesses, I can only pray that this proverb applies to me."_

That was the Sheikah's last thought before she felt everything slip into a void of darkness.

**...:oOi!.!iOo:...**

**A/N: Would you guys have been mad if I wrote a big long author's note, (kinda like this), that had nothing to do with the story except saying that I killed Sheik and I was ending the chapter here? I was very tempted to do that, but I just decided to ask. :P Okay, I'll leave you alone so you can read now.**

**...:oOi!.!iOo:...**

The weather outside was freezing, as it had been most of December for Hyrule. A light snow was falling, representing the winter holiday. Sure, it was Christmas today, but no one felt the joy that they should have been experiencing. Two days ago, Link had brought Hyrule's princess to them in a state of unconsciousness. Many of the Hylians in Hyrule Castle were distraught , and some of the citizens of Hyrule were mourning on what was supposed to be a 'Happy Holiday'. Inside the castle, Impa and Link were sitting beside Zelda's weak body that was lying in her bed, sleeping peacefully.

"She sure is stubborn. That's the way she's always been," Impa said, attempting a smile. It had been two days since the destruction of the portal. After Link had brought Sheik back to the castle, Impa did something to Sheik and she turned back into Zelda. Since then, Impa had barely left her side. Zelda had awakened from her unconscious state a few hours after the traumatic event, but was so weak that she ended up going to sleep almost immediately.

Link had also been by Zelda's side for the majority of the time as Impa had. He was trying his hardest to keep their relationship a secret, but every minute that ticked by, the urge to hold her hand and comfort her was getting harder and harder to resist. "Impa," he said finally, "why don't you go to sleep? You've been up for a long time. I'll watch over Zelda for you while you sleep."

Impa looked over to Link with dark circles around her eyes. She hadn't slept since Link had brought Zelda to the castle. Only once, had she fallen asleep for a little over an hour, but Link had been there then, too. "Are you sure?" Impa asked. "You haven't slept much either, and you're going to be leaving soon to find Ganondorf. If you'd like, you can go home. I don't want you to stay here if you don't want to."

"No, I feel like this is somewhat my fault. Please, go ahead and sleep," Link offered the tired Sheikah. Impa gave in, and she smiled at Link before she left the room. Not until he heard Impa's footsteps fade away down the hall, did Link turn to his princess. She looked very weak. Everything about her seemed pale. All Link wanted was for Zelda to get better. He took her hand in his own. There was a slight warmth to it.

Just then, Zelda's eyes opened slowly. She looked around the room, blinking a few times. Her eyes stopped on Link as she saw him at her side. "Link!" she whispered softly. She smiled and him weakly and tightened her grip on Link's hand. "I'm glad you're here.

"I wouldn't leave your side until I saw your eyes open again," Link replied, bending over to her and kissing her lightly on the lips. "By the way, Merry Christmas."

Zelda's eyebrow rose in interest, "Christmas already! I still need to give my gifts out." She attempted to sit up, but she was only able to rise a few centimeters from her bed. Link saw her struggling, so he wrapped his arms around her and sat her up so that she was leaning against her mahogany wood headboard of her bed. There was a slight blush on her pale cheeks as Link sat beside her on the bed. "Has anything happened while I was sleeping?"

Link thought about it, resting his chin on his hands. "Well," he began.

"Deep subject," Zelda said, still very weak.

The Hylian man chuckled. "Really, though, Ganondorf can't be found anywhere in Hyrule, so I guess I'm going to try and find him." He sighed as he leaned over towards Zelda, and began to slide his fingers though her hair. "I love you," he said, changing the subject, but meaning every word he said completely. He didn't want Zelda to begin worrying about him when he left. Even though he was leaving soon, he had one last thing to do before he left.

"When will you be leaving?" Zelda asked sadly. She expected him to leave soon since Ganondorf had attacked, but not this soon.

"I'll be leaving today," Link replied, looking away from Zelda's eyes. He wouldn't be able to stand the hurt look in her eyes.

"Link, you can't go without me! Let me go with you! I'm strong enough to help."

There was no way Link would let Zelda come with him. She was definitely not strong enough to help, and it would be too easy for anyone or anything to kill her quickly. Link couldn't understand why she wanted to go with him anyway. She knew from her vision that he'd have to end up facing Ganondorf. Maybe there was something that he was missing.

As if reading his mind, Zelda suddenly confessed, "Link, there's more to my vision than what I've told you. I thought, maybe, if I didn't tell you, it wouldn't happen, and I could help you and prevent it." There were tears in Zelda's eyes now as she spoke. She felt bad for keeping the secret from her lover. "In my vision, Ganondorf kills you, Link."

"I'll be fine, Zelda," Link cooed, trying to comfort Zelda as he hugged her. He wouldn't worry about being killed right now, he just wanted to settle things down before he left. Quickly, Link stood up from the bed and took Zelda's hand. He knelt down on one knee and removed a small wooden box from his tunic. "I know you're a bit weak, but I want to ask you this now." He paused and opened the box, holding it up to Zelda. "Will you marry me?"

Surprise sprang onto Zelda's face as she looked to the box which held a gold, diamond ring inside. She took the box in her hands as more tears formed in her eyes. "Link, I-I-Are you sure?" Zelda was speechless.

"Of course I'm sure," Link whispered, removing the ring from the box. He took Zelda's hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Tears of joy were streaming down Zelda's face, and she smiled as Link looked her in the eye. "Merry Christmas," he whispered, moving his face to hers and pressing his lips against her lips.

They broke from their kiss and Zelda looked up to her lover. "The Goddesses have blessed me with someone wonderful," she exclaimed happily.

"As they have for me, also," Link said, embracing the fragile girl before him. It was good to see her beautiful smile again.

There was a knock at the door, separating the couple. A voice called from the other side, "Sir Link, Your Highness would like to speak to you now, before you leave."

Zelda looked to the door, then to Link sadly. "You must go so soon?" She held Link's hands, reluctant to let him leave.

Link nodded, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'll be back as soon as possible. When I return, we can get settled down, tell your father about our relationship, plan our wedding-we can do whatever we need to do to make our relationship work." Zelda nodded, embracing him tightly. They said their "I love you" s to each other then Link left out the door.

The couple hadn't expected it to be months before they'd see each other again. Of course, they hadn't expected a lot of things to happen that did.

**A/N: Wow it's done! I hope you liked it. Did you guys think I was going to kill of Sheik? I couldn't do that…I'd have to kill myself first. :P On other news I didn't make the volleyball team, which sucks, but I'll just try out next year. I can probably try out for the high school and my junior high though. (Jr. Varsity) . I tried really hard to get in volleyball though. I love volleyball, it's like the only sport I really enjoy doing. -sigh- But that's okay! I will just try harder next year to get on the v-ball team! I will not give up so easily! Ha ha ha! No one shall stop me and my evil reign to make the volleyball team! (Okay, so it's probably not evil, but that's besides the point!) At least I have the rest of my summer to write. That's a positive. Well, I'm going to go now. Be prepared for some action in Chapter 7: She Plays A Broken Lyre.**


	7. She Plays A Broken Lyre

**A/N: Hey, everyone, thanks for the comments! You all are so great! I'm sorry this took so long to do, but school started on the 28 (August). I've been studying for the WV Golden Horseshoe Test a lot, so that takes up some afternoon time. (The test can only be taken by 8th graders. If you win you get to go to Charleston, meet the governor, and be knighted. :P Only a few people make it, and my dad made it when he was in school so I really want to make it too. I don't get much time to work on the story though. It's actually almost over, believe it or not. I'm writing three or four more chapters after this one (most likely unless I decide to do something else), and that'll be it. I haven't thought of another Zelda fanfic yet, so it might be a little while before I do anymore. I have Sailor Moon fanfics I need to work on too, so it just all depends on how everything goes…Well, I've babbled long enough…Here's chapter 7.**

**...:oOi!.!iOo:...**

**Chapter 7: She Plays a Broken Lyre**

It had been around three months since Zelda had last seen Link. He was all she thought about lately, but she just couldn't get him off her mind. She missed him almost unbearably. Hadn't three months been long enough for him to find Ganondorf and defeat him? In the first week of Link's absence Zelda had told Impa, the only understanding motherly figure she had, about her relationship with Link. Even though Impa had promised she wouldn't tell the king the secret, it didn't mean Impa wouldn't do other things. For awhile now Zelda had been making attempts to sneak out of the castle to try to find Link. Impa wasn't stupid; She knew that Zelda's love for Link would eventually push her to her limits and make her do something dangerous. So each time Zelda had tried to get out of the castle, Impa was always there to stop her.

Impa knew that Zelda wasn't in tip-top shape, and even if she was, Impa wouldn't let her go. She couldn't risk the chance of Zelda being endangered by the many foul monsters and beings outside of the castle's four walls. The princess was the only heir to take the throne for Hyrule. Besides that, Zelda seemed to have caught the flu or some type of sickness, because she had been sick for a while now, and had already vomited twice this morning.

"I still don't feel well, Impa," Zelda groaned, as she plopped herself down on her bed. She had just left the bathroom after being sick for the second time this morning. Her hands moved to her stomach, which was now slightly rounder than it had been previously three months ago. Even though it was pretty obvious that her stomach was pudgier than usual, Zelda had been trying her hardest to hide it and make it look less apparent. Whenever she went to dinner she wore a robe to the table to cover her bulging middle. If she was to speak in front of Hyrule's people she made sure to wear a cloak and blame it on the cold weather; even if the sun's rays were shining brightly down on everyone.

Impa shuffled through a large wooden bureau, trying to find an outfit for Zelda. She removed a white blouse and a long pink skirt that had ruffles at the bottom. The outfit was held up for Zelda's approval. After Zelda nodded that the outfit was okay, Impa laid the clothing down beside her.

"Maybe you're sick because you miss Link so much," she assumed, finally deciding to comment on Zelda's earlier complaint. Even though she wasn't really happy with Link right now, she wanted the princess to feel like Impa supported her choice in being with Link. It just seemed to her that Link was being selfish by leaving the princess in such a situation. He must have known that, by leaving the princess so soon after they had confessed their love to each other, Zelda would eventually make an effort to go after him. Especially if he was gone for a long period of time. _"Of course, it all couldn't be avoided. Some things that had happened required Link to leave quickly,"_ Impa thought wearily, becoming tired of the whole subject as one.

Zelda was pretty sure that missing Link wasn't the case of her sickness. Although she did miss Link to where it was almost unbearable, her larger than normal abdomen, morning sickness, and other symptoms were leading her to believe that she was pregnant. There was no chance that she'd tell anyone about it besides Link. If Impa found out, she would be shocked that she would have done such a thing with Link, and if her father found out, he'd probably disown her. Well, maybe not disown her, but life wouldn't be very much fun for, neither, her or Link.

"Go ahead and get dressed. I'll go and get a potion for you," Impa said, walking from the room and shutting the door.

Slowly, Zelda began to clothe herself in the garments that Impa had picked out. Thoughts of Link continued to enter her mind. First of all, she needed to find him soon to make sure he was alright. Her deathly dreams had been plaguing her with his death, and she needed to make sure he was alive and stayed that way. If she tried to leave now, though, while Impa was getting her the potion, she'd feel badly, but now might be her only chance. In the time it could take to get that second chance, Link, claiming that he was alive presently, could die. The decision was over Impa's trust or Link's life; And Zelda would have to choose Link.

_"If I don't go now it might be awhile before I get another chance,"_ Zelda told herself. She ran to a wooden chest that was sitting at the end of her bed and opened it. Inside were: a big, full bag of rupees, her sapphire lyre, a few bottled fairies, and some red potions. Quickly, she grabbed everything except the lyre and put them in a small blue bag. On her dresser was a quill and some parchment. She hurriedly took the quill and wrote on the parchment that she'd be back soon. Outside, in the hall, footsteps could be heard. Zelda held up her lyre that she left out of the blue bag, plucked the strings, the notes forming into the Serenade of Water. A light blue light engulfed her body as her room began to fade away. She closed her eyes as the light became brighter and she felt her body feel as if it were being pushed into a small box. The feeling and the light began to subside, and the sound of water falling in the distance could be heard. Zelda opened her eyes and looked around.

She was standing on the stone teleporting pad that was near the old tree that sat on a small island in the middle of Lake Hylia. Nothing was amiss here; Probably since there wasn't anyone around. A light rain was beginning to fall, making a calming sound as it hit the ground and water in the lake. Even though the scene was relaxing, Zelda felt a little melancholy. She crossed her arms, transforming into Sheik, and then sat down and leaned against the old, brittle tree as nausea overcame her.

_"Link, where do I start searching? I want to help you, but I left without a clue to where you were. Now I don't know where to go," _Sheik thought hopelessly, her lack of energy and nausea lowering her will to go on. She was beginning to question why she had left. The thought hadn't occurred to her that she didn't have any clues to Link's whereabouts. All she knew was that she wanted to find him to make sure he was safe. More regrets began to fill her mind. Maybe sneaking out of the castle hadn't been a good idea after all.

Dark clouds had completely covered the sky now, and the rain was pelting down, colder than it had been earlier. The storm continued to worsen, not helping the fact that Sheik was still debating on whether to continue her journey or not. Everything seemed to be going downhill in Sheik's mind. She took her lyre and let her fingers slide across its silver strings. Going back to the castle and waiting until she figured out where Link was or near to was seemed to be a good choice right now. One of her long slender fingers plucked the first note for the Prelude of Light, but the sound of branches rustling above her made her stop. With her quick Sheikah reflexes, she jumped up and stood in a fighting stance. Her first thought had been that Ganondorf had found her, but to her surprise, she only saw an overly large owl. Its large orange eyes were staring the Sheikah warrior down as its head twisted upside down to the right and left. It had grey feathers, and coal black spots on its back. Sheik opened her mouth to speak to the owl, but it gave a loud 'hoot' and interrupted her.

"Sheik, legendary warrior of the Sheikahs, I have come to aid you in your quest," the owl said, its head still twisting around to the sides. "My father was a well know sage while he was alive. His name was Kaepora Gaebora. After his life ended, he was reincarnated as an owl. During that second life time, he helped a young kokiri boy-actually he was a Hylian from Kokiri Forest-who we know today as the legendary, Hero of Time! With my father's help, the hero was able to defeat Ganondorf, and peace returned to Hyrule once again!"

The Sheikah warrior was a bit bored over the large owl's babbling. She had been the person who had started Link's adventure, and from what she had heard from Link, Kaepora Gaebora hadn't really helped him that much. "So, uh, what is your name?" Sheik asked, since he had never introduced himself. Her fighting stance began to ease now.

"Oh, yes, I must've been jabbering on again, wasn't I?" The owl hooted, chuckling lightly. "I'm Kaepa Gora, named after my deceased father, and as I said earlier, I'm here to help you. First, before I can help you, you must prove that you have the will to continue this journey. If not, you must retreat back to the castle. Are you up for the challenge?"

Sheik nodded. Even though she had just been debating whether she had made a good decision, a challenge was a challenge, and she just wouldn't back down. A Sheikah would never back down from a challenge made by someone. Plus, Kaepa Gora was going to help her. Everyone needed some help sometimes, right?

Kaepa Gora stretched out his wings, and flew down to a wooden peg that attached the bridge and the island Sheik was on. "I knew you would be up for it!" he exclaimed, hooting happily. "First off, please pluck each string on your lyre."

Even though the owl's request was odd, Sheik did as she was told. She held the blue lyre in her worn hands and began to pluck its strings gently. This seemed a bit too easy to be a challenge, and what did it have to do with having the will to go on? The calloused and bandaged fingers of Sheik's right hand had plucked the next to last string on the lyre, and Kaepa Gora let out a high-pitched screech.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, flapping his wings. Feathers were flying everywhere and then landed softly on the lush green grass below him.

Sheik looked around, preparing to attack anything that was around. "What is it? I don't hear anything!" If anyone should have heard something, it should have been her. All Sheikah were trained to have extremely sensitive ears.

"Here is the point I'm trying to make: To you, the lyre sounds right because that's how you've always heard it. The truth is, your lyre is broken!" Kaepa Gora exclaimed. "Now you must put this into wording for your own life. Ask yourself: Even though my life sounds like it is going well, is it actually wrong?"

_"Even though my life sounds like it is wrong well is it actually wrong?"_ Sheik pondered this question. It was true that she had done some things that had seemed right at the time, but had turned out for the worse. But, did it make it wrong? Being with Link seemed perfectly fine right now, but maybe that was wrong. Impa could tell her father at any time that she and Link were together. Then there'd be no chance of she and Link ever being together. Maybe she and Link should separate. _"It might be smart to turn back now,"_ Sheik thought, holding her head in her hands. She really loved Link, but the question Kaepa Gora had posed really stumped her. Maybe the answer was yes, her life was wrong. "Kaepa Gora, I-I think that maybe, well, you know…"

Kaepa Gora looked to Sheik with his bushy eyebrows raised high on his face. "Are you saying that your life is wrong?" he inquired softly.

Sheik stood stock-still. If she said yes, then that would mean she thought being with Link was wrong; It would mean carrying Link's child was wrong; It would mean inviting Link to the party and having him in her room had been all wrong. Could she really say that she felt that way? That every single thing she did with, or for Link was wrong? The Sheikah warrior's heart was pounding. She could hear it yelling out to her, and she knew the answer to Kaepa Gora's question. "No," she said, her will to go on returning to her. "My life had never been wrong. Even if some of my decisions weren't the best, I don't regret them. Everything I've done was set in stone by fate to happen. No matter if my life sounds right or wrong, it will always be right in my heart." That was the answer both Zelda and Sheik's hearts were screaming. She loved Link, and was glad to be hid lover. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for him, and over coming fears wouldn't stop her, either.

"If that is how you truly feel, then I can help you to find Link," Kaepa Gora said. "Link has traveled to Ganondorf's Castle. This castle is hidden deep in the woods of Oujou. These woods are located far out of Hyrule, in a forbidden land. The journey is long and dangerous, so if you'd like to get there quickly, play the notes B, B, A, B. That song, Rosuto's Melody, will teleport you there." The large owl gazed into the weather in the lake. Rain was still falling, distorting the images reflected off it.

The Sheikah warrior crossed her legs and bowed low from her waist. "Thank you, and may the Goddesses be with you," she said, picking her blue bag up, and holding her lyre into playing position. She played Rosuto's Melody, and it made a black light engulf her body. The same feeling of being pushed into a small space returned as the teleportation took place. This time the light that surrounded her didn't become brighter. It darkened until nothing had a form, and everything seemed equal. As the darkness began to lessen, Sheik could make out two small, orange lights. Her eyes began to adjust to the dark, and the two lights were two torches hanging on the sides of the wall. She was in a long hall, its stone walls had brownish water dripping from the ceiling. A musty smell filled her nose, causing her to choke. On some parts of the wall she could see a slimy, moss green fungus growing in the cracks of broken stone. It seemed like she was in more of an underground tunnel than a castle. She looked down to the floor to check for a teleporting pad. It was worn and cracked, but she could just barely make out the symbol of the triforce.

Just then, Sheik's ears picked up a noise. _Tap, tap, tap, tap. _It was someone or something's footsteps coming from the hall that was behind her. She turned and looked behind her to try to see the person or thing, but the hall way didn't continue straight. It turned into a corner where, Sheik presumed, lead to another hallway. _Tap, tap, tap, tap._ The noise was beginning to get louder now. Sheik's heart began to race as she thought of who the owner of the footsteps could be. She bent her knees and prepared for a fight. Her arms were ready to pull out daggers from her hip pocket as if she were from a western movie. The footsteps were just around the corner now. Sheik's heart began to beat even faster, if possible, and sweat had beaded on her forehead. Taking this person on alone could be a hard task.

_"I wish Link was here," _Sheik thought, trying to quiet the sound of her breathing, She saw one foot step from behind the corner. Her arm went back, preparing to throw. The rest of the thing, or person, came out and Sheik gasped.

Link was standing there, looking as shocked as Sheik was. The two stared at each other, wondering if who they saw before them was real.

"Link?" Sheik asked, her arm outstretched towards him.

At the sound of his name, Link smiled. "Sheik?" he asked, already knowing the answer. His own hand went to hold Sheik's bandaged one.

The two were happy to be in their lover's presence, but evil was still lurking in the shadows.

**...:oOi!.!iOo:...**

**A/N: I'd like to thank you all for being so patient with me in getting this chapter out. You are the best readers ever. I thank you for understanding and being so great. Thank you all for the reviews, and I hope to get the next chapter out ASAP. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and still waiting for more. :D Since I have a period at school to work on the story (if I don't have to study or do home work) this next one should be out faster. (That's what I said last time. --;;) Anyway, thanks for bearing with me. I can't wait 'till next time in Chapter 8: Reunited, or so We Thought.**

**Adieu, ciao, sayonara, adios, and whatever else there is to say. :P**


	8. Reunited, or so We Thought

**A/N: Sorry again everyone! I had to write a scary story for English class which was a very hectic and confusing situation…I won't tell you about it. I wish I would have gotten this out sooner, but I didn't sadly. Thanks for the comments, and yes, my last chapter was meant to be philosophical. I had that idea in my head since the first chapter, thus the name of my story. :D Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

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**Chapter 8: Reunited, or so We Thought**

Link smiled at Sheik and pulled her closer to himself. He put one hand on Sheik's face cover, and began to pull it down. His hands were stopped by Sheik's fingers pulling them away from the covering. "Hey, what's that about?" Link whined.

A slight pink blush had spread across Sheik's cheeks. She had ruined the moment. "I'm sorry, Link, but I can't reveal my face to anyone," she whispered sheepishly, as she fixed the white face mask.

There was rumble that caused a tremor to run down the tunnel like hallway they were in. Link was pushed back to reality, and he looked to Sheik. "Why are you here?" It's dangerous, you should have stayed at the castle!" he exclaimed, then added, "How'd you get here before me anyway?"

Tears were in Sheik's frustrated eyes, but she tried to blink them from existence. "I was worried about you, Link! I decided I would try to find you, and Kaepora Gaebora's son, Kaepa Gora, helped me get here." She put her arms around Link, embracing him, taking in his scent, and just being comforted by his warmth. Her strength was low now and she was trembling.

Link held Sheik tighter, feeling the shakes that traveled down her lithe body._ "She seems weaker than usual today. Her strength still hasn't fully replenished," _Link thought, kissing Sheik's temple softly. "You need to go home."

Sheik clutched the back of Link's dark green tunic. Her tears of frustration were beginning to slide down her cloth covered face. "I can't go back without you. Impa will kill me," she mumbled, keeping her face in Link's tunic. "Before we go to find Ganondorf there's something I need to tell you."

"Whoa, who said _we _were going to find Ganondorf?" Link asked. He only wanted to protect his worn lover. Sheik looked up to Link with deep pleading in her eyes. Link sighed, giving in to her pleading. "Alright, let's go then." He took Sheik's hand and they began to walk down the hallway, the tapping of their footsteps in unison.

The hall was dark because the light that was provided was from torches that were placed yards away from each other. The torches' orange flames flickered against the grey stone walls behind them, leaving a burnt, black residue. Noises, such as screeches and growls, could be heard in the distance further down the hall. Things began to scamper across the floor as they journeyed deeper into the heart of the castle. The two Hylians made most of the trip in silence.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Link asked, breaking the silence. Even though he was looking straight ahead, he slowed his walk; a sign that he was listening.

Sheik looked up to Link, but was silent. The thought of telling Link that she was pregnant could be a bad thing. _"He might not let me continue with him to find Ganondorf,"_ she thought sadly. _"But he really should know since it's his child."_

"Well?" Link questioned.

"You have to promise that you'll let me continue with you no matter what," Sheik bribed.

Link thought about it for a second, then nodded in agreement. He didn't see what could be so bad that he'd absolutely want to send her back. Although he wanted her to be safe at the castle, it was nice to have human company.

The Sheikah warrior could feel a slight blush rise on her cheeks as her mouth opened to tell Link her secret. "Well, Link," she began sheepishly, "I'm pretty positive that I'm pregnant." She didn't know why the subject seemed so taboo. It was likely to happen since they had had intercourse together. Maybe she felt this way because it happened so early, or maybe it was just because she wasn't even married.

Link kind of smiled as he walked down the hallway, not really taking in what Sheik had said into full comprehension. Then it suddenly hit him. He stumbled over his feet, and looked to Sheik unbelievingly. So many thoughts were running through his mind. "Why are you here? You're putting yourself in danger and our…child…in danger!" Link exclaimed, instantly becoming an overly worried father. The thought of the king finding out about their child would lead him to an eternal world of condemnation. His thoughts were so scrambled, he just couldn't believe that he had gotten the princess of Hyrule pregnant.

Sheik turned her head down and opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped when she heard a noise. Link had heard it also, and he began to unsheathe his sword. The two Hylians pointed in opposite directions and announced that the sound was coming from that way. They turned to face each other, to see who was right. Each stood wide-eyed and pointed behind the other.

"It's behind you!" they yelled in unison. Two wallmasters had crawled up behind the two. The giant hand-like monster that was behind Sheik leapt for her. Link attempted to run to her , but the other wallmaster grabbed a hold of him, keeping him still in his spot.

"Try to fight it, Sheik!" Link yelled, struggling to move his arms that were held tightly to his sides by the monster's deathly grip.

Sheik screamed out in pain as the wallmaster holding her squeezed her tighter. Her vision began to go blurred and she yelled out, "I can't!" She blinked a couple times, trying to see clearly, but her eyelids felt heavy. Her breath came in as deep gasps, and she tried to sick in as much air as possible.

The wallmaster that held Link still seemed to be doing just that; holding him still. It was as if they wanted him to watch as the person he cared for more than anyone else died in front of him. He could see the suffering in Sheik's pain filled eyes as the monster continued to squeeze her tighter and tighter, and all he could do was watch. He was still struggling to move his arms so that his sword could damage the monster holding him, but they were beginning to go numb. His attention quickly went to his sword in his hands, and he finally faced it up towards the monster. Suddenly, all Link could hear was his own heavy breathing. The sound of Sheik struggling was heard no longer. Link wearily looked up, and saw that the wallmaster was holding the limp body of Sheik and was beginning to bounce away down the dark hall.

"Sheik!" Link yelled, jabbing his sword upwards at his captor. The wallmaster made a high-pitched squeal as the sword pierced through its body. Link felt a sharp pain in his own side as well. As the monster began to fade away, Link looked to his side. The master sword was buried about an inch deep in his side. Bright red blood was trickling down his side, staining his dark green tunic. He turned his head away, feeling slightly nauseated, and removed the end of his sword from his wound, making it worse than it had been when it was inside him. The tip of his sword glimmered red in the small of light that was provided in the hallway. Link quickly sheathed his sword, and pressed his hand against the now heavily bleeding wound. Pain seared up his spine, causing him to wince in pain, but he continued to hold his hand pressed against it.

_"I need to go find Sheik," _Link reminded himself, the sudden injury causing him to be sidetracked. He took one step in the direction Sheik had been taken. More pain ran through him. With each step he took the pain worsened, but he continued on, his slow trudge beginning to turn into a run.

The long hall seemed to continue on forever, its appearance never changing. Link couldn't tell how far he'd ran, but it seemed like it had been miles upon miles. Ahead of himself, all Link could see was darkness. He slowed to a quick paced walk, as he neared the darkness. To his surprise, there was only a dead-end in front of him. He hunched over and rested his hands on the wall before him, breathing quickly and heavily. His side was throbbing and his lungs were aching. Sweat was dripping down his face and neck, despite the cool temperature of the tunnel. Link collapsed to the floor, his legs burning from the long run. Turning, he moved to sit on his bottom and lean against the wall.

_"Where could she have gone?"_ he asked himself, trying to think over the pain that was now ailing his entire body. He couldn't see where the wallmaster had taken Sheik. There were three walls around him and the rest of the hallway that led to where he had previously been. Link massaged his throbbing temples with his fingers, trying to calm himself so that he could think straight. He couldn't stand that he hadn't protected Sheik. Now her whereabouts were unknown to him, and even his own location was questionable.

Link gave a deep sigh of defeat. All he wanted to do was sleep. Hid eyelids grew heavy and he yawned as tiredness overcame him. He blinked a few times, attempting to stay awake, the thought of Sheik in his mind. If only someone could wake him up…

Suddenly, a small, but very high-pitched sound screamed in his ear, "HEY, LINK, LISTEN!"

A sharp pain cut through Link's ear. Link placed his hand on his now, what felt like, deaf ear and screamed in pain.

"Link, you're bleeding! How did we get here? Why are you asleep?" the voice, (very apparently, Navi's voice), screamed again.

"If I'm ever able to hear again I might be able to answer you questions, Navi!" Link yelled, as his beautiful crystal blue eyes opened. His little fairy friend, Navi, was flying in circles around his head, screaming things that made no sense. Link swatted at the annoying, flying, blue catastrophe, and sent her flying towards the wall to the right of him.

Navi was screaming bloody murder and praying that she didn't die on instant impact from hitting the wall, but she needn't have done so. Her small body went completely through the wall.

Link's mouth fell open in shock, and he crawled towards the fake wall. "Are you alright?" he called, fearing that he had injured his small companion. He heard a low, deep moan, and then screaming. Navi flew back to Link, her tiny wings flapping faster than the speed of light. "What's wrong?"

The fairy only screamed something and continued to fly down the hall. Link stood and watched dumbfounded, staring as Navi zoomed down the hall. Then it happened. The putrid stench of rotten meat wavered to Link's nose. He gagged on the familiar smell as he usually did, and turned to look and see if what he thought was causing the smell was what he thought.

A re-dead was standing before him, moaning its lost moan. Link removed his sword and prepared for a fight. The only thing he couldn't understand was why Navi had been so afraid of one little re-dead. Another re-dead appeared from the wall. Okay, it was two, but that still didn't make sense. With the feeling that something was wrong on the other side of the wall, Link removed the lens of truth and held it up to his eye. He looked to the fake wall and almost dropped his sword. Now that he could see through the wall and into the next room, he was sorry that he did. A whole army of re-dead were lurking in that room, every single one awake and scooting towards him. There was no way he could fight them all off. He took a step backwards, and tried to think of how he could fix the problem before him.

**(#1) **Suddenly, an idea struck Link. He removed a small diamond-shaped crystal from a small pocket inside his tunic. The crystal was clear and had a ball of red fire in the middle. It was lukewarm in his hands now, but Link could feel the crystal beginning to warm in his hands. Link pressed the crystal in his hands, and began to summon his power to it.

_"Din, please grant me your power!"_ he prayed, holding the crystal high. The crystal became unbearably hot, and the flame inside engulfed the crystal. A blast of red fire shot out from the crystal, and then surrounded Link's body. Instantly, the circle of fire around him began to get larger and larger. It swept over the re-dead in the next room, and then died out.

Link looked to the zombie-like monster that was still shuffling its feet towards him. Surprise, surprise, it was still alive-not to mention on fire! As the mass of burning, rotten zombie neared Link, it began to hold out its arms, as if offering to give Link a big, hot hug.

"NAVI!" Link screamed, to his now gone comrade. "HELP! There are walking, fire coated re-dead in here!" He unsheathed his sword; He wouldn't run away.

Navi, after hearing Link's sissified, girlie scream for help, flew back for him. Though, after seeing the whole parade of set on fire re-dead, she began to scream. "Hey, Link, listen! Why'd you set those re-dead on fire! Everyone knows that's dangerous!"

"What else was I supposed to do? You ran off," Link growled.

Suddenly, Link heard loud thumping and groans from re-deads from the other room. The sound of footsteps were rapidly approaching from the room that had once held the army of re-dead. Now, besides the sound of the heavy footsteps, the room was silent.

Then the footsteps stopped abruptly, but were replaced by the slight creek of stretching bow strings. Link held up his Hylian shield, waiting for the arrow to be shot towards him. The arrow could be heard as it was released, and it pierced the air, whistling softly.

Link waited for the arrow to smack off his shield, but it never came to him. Instead, the arrow cut through one of the re-dead's chest. Another arrow was sent flying to the second re-dead. The two creatures toppled over, and their corpses continued to burn on the ground.

"Who's there?" Link yelled to whatever was on the other side of the wall. He had no time to remove the lens of truth. If he let his guard down, he would be open to any attacks.

"I expected you to be able to beat re-dead, but I guess not," a rough voice said, ignoring Link's question.

"Who are you?" Link repeated the question slightly different and with annoyance in his voice. His sword was still drown in front of him.

"No need to get feisty!" the voice replied again. A man stepped from the other side of the wall. "I'm Reddell." Reddell held out his hand towards Link.

Link shook the man's hand. "I'm Link."

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**#1: Do NOT try Link's idea. I did that and then I ran around a room waiting for the fire on all 6 re-dead to die down. I was afraid that I was going to catch on fire because the re-dead were on fire…I thought Din's Fire would kill them but it didn't to my surprise. Sigh**

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**A/N: Yay, it's two in the morning and I'm finished! I have church tomorrow…I have no clue how I'll get up…Anyway my next two chapters will be in Zelda and Link's P.O.V. Yeah. This is random, but I made up Reddell's name off the top of my head, but I was talking to my friend from kindergarten who I haven't talked to in years and he lives in Reddell, Louisiana! Isn't that weird? You probably don't think so, so I'll just shut up…Tell me what you thought of this chapter if you'd like. I'll see you in the next chapter that might be named: I Feel Lost: Zelda's P.O.V.**

**Byeeeeeee**


	9. A Sudden Meeting Zelda's POV

**A/N: Hmmm, I don't have much to say…Amazing right? lol. I've still been busy. I had to write another essay/story for English class. That took forever, and I didn't like doing it at all. Then, I also tried many times to type this up, but I kept getting sidetracked. Now, for this chapter and the next I decided on doing P.O.V. s. I don't really like them much, but I decided that I should at least have one for both Zelda and Link. Well, I have nothing else to talk about so here's the chapter….**

**Sorry about the long wait!**

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**Chapter 9: A Sudden Meeting; Zelda's P.O.V.**

I half awoke from my slumber, feeling a great warmth on my back. I was lying on something soft and silky that felt like my own bed. Still in my half-asleep state, I assumed that Link had defeated Ganondorf, saved me, and was lying beside me. The only problem with that assumption was that I couldn't remember anything like that happening after I had passed out. This thought forced me to open my heavy eyes.

Around me I could see that I definitely wasn't in my own room or bed. The interior of the room that I was in was all in dark reds and browns. Scarlet curtains were drawn to the sides of all four windows in the room. There was only one door, that was to the right of me, and the rest of the room was bare. No one was in the room with me; I was alone.

I moved so that I was sitting on the side edge of the bed. When I stood, the dark sheets fell around my feet, and I quickly stepped upon them. The stone floor was frigid one my bare feet, and sent chills up my spine. I looked down to my bare feet, wondering why I didn't have shoes on. As I looked down my body, I found that I wasn't garbed in my Sheikah attire any longer. Instead, I was dressed in my usual pink Hylian dress.

"Someone must've had powerful magic skills to undo my transformation," I said aloud to myself. Then, I heard the doorknob rattling. Something or someone was going to enter the room! I raced over to one of the windows, and placed my hands on the bottom of the window. The window seemed to be bolted shut; It wouldn't budge.

Before I could find a spot to hide, the door opened. I took a step backward, as the person entered the door. The red-haired, Gerudo king, Ganondorf, was standing in the door way, a menacing smile on his face. He entered the room, and closed the door behind himself.

"Hello, Princess," Ganondorf greeted me. There was an emotion in his eyes that I just couldn't quite grasp. "It's good to see you again."

"I can't say the same thing for you," I spat. My heart was beating quickly. Ganondorf definitely wasn't my favorite person to be stuck alone with. I was powerless against him. The only thing that could really induce any damage on him was the Master Sword. And the only person who had the Master Sword was the Hero of Time: Link.

Ganondorf chuckled, and looked me straight in the eye. "You don't _have_ to be friendly, but I think that you will find that it will be easier to follow my commands without question. You're in my domain now, so you have no right to try and reason with me." His eyes gleamed with lust after he finished speaking.

My right hand began to ache slightly. I brought it up to my face and saw that the triforce sign was glowing lightly through my pink gloves. A slight dizzy feeling filled my head, and my stomach felt as if it were doing flips. It was a familiar feeling. The last time I had been in Ganondorf's presence, I had felt the same way. I guessed that it was because of the triforce part Ganon had and the triforce part I had, but that didn't make sense because I never felt weird around Link.

"It's because you are the light force, and I am the dark force. The evil, corrupted piece that I have goes against the light piece that you have. When this happens, the two opposite forces become unsure of each other, and the owner is affected by the energy that the forces emit," Ganondorf suddenly said, as if reading my mind.

I took a step away from him, wondering what in Hyrule he was doing to me. "How do you know what I'm thinking?" I asked fearfully. If he was reading my mind, then Hyrule had the possibility of being destroyed in an instant. There were so many secrets I knew about Hyrule; If someone with bad intentions found them out, Hyrule-and other important subjects-would be turned for the worse.

Ganon grabbed my wrist roughly with one of his large calloused hands, and commented, "Eyes reveal thoughts if you look close enough. It's strange that you, the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom, wouldn't know that. That's why I should be ruler of all three triforce pieces, and turn Hyrule into my land, where I am king!" His other hand moved to my face and cupped my cheek lightly. I attempted to move my head away, but his fingers clasped over my face and turned my head towards his.

"Get your hands off of me," I hissed, trying to move Ganon's hand from my face. I was afraid of what he would attempt. Who knew what was going on in his foul little mind. Then, his head suddenly began to dip down towards my own. I continued to claw at his hand that was holding my face still, but could not succeed in removing it. I really didn't want to kiss Ganondorf, and I still wasn't quite sure why he wanted to kiss me. So before his lips crashed into mine, I mustered up all the spare energy I could gather, and elbowed him in his side. He let out a loud yelp, and then released me from his hold to baby his injured side. I took my chance and made a sprint for the door. As I slammed the door shut behind me, I heard Ganondorf laugh loudly.

My heart was still pounding furiously as I continued to run down the unfamiliar hall outside of the door from where I had preciously been. I hadn't been running that long, but I was already very tired. Tears of fear and frustration welled up in my eyes as I forced myself to run; I was afraid to stop and let Ganon catch up with me. Even though I didn't want to be caught, my legs were heavy and slowing down.

"Link, please get here! I need you!" I cried, falling to my knees, "I love you! I want to see you again!" Still on my knees, I cradled my stomach in my hands, and sucked in the air around me.

"Calling out for your love? The father of your unborn child?" Ganondorf's voice asked from behind me. His voice sounded as if it were trying to repress his laughter.

I turned immediately, and stared daggers at the pure evil man before me. He knew my secret.

"Link is being taken care of right as we speak. Are you sure you'll ever see him again? He might be dead now," Ganon whispered, kneeling down and stretching one arm out for me.

I shook my head unbelievingly and said, "No, Link wouldn't give up so easily! That's not like him!" In my mind, though, Ganondorf's words were lingering. Even though I didn't believe what he said, if I continued to tell myself Link was alive, but was actually dead, I wouldn't be able to live.

Suddenly, I watched Ganon look around franticly. He grabbed my upper arm roughly and began to pull me down the hall. "He's near," I heard Ganon hiss under his breath, "Walk quickly."

With no more strength left to fight him, I walked slowly, and cringed as my arm began to throb from the pressure of where Ganon's hand was holding me. The hallway was as dark as the previous hallway Link and I had been in. It had a slight tinge of a musty smell to it, and skulltula webs hung on the walls and ceiling. I began to wonder where Ganondorf was going to take me. It only occurred to me now that he might be taking me to my death. I began to feel alone. Not physically, because there was Ganondorf here, but mentally. If Link had really died, then I was left alone to die by myself.

Just as I began to think that all hope was lost, I heard footsteps from behind us. Ganon pulled on my arm harder, and began to jog. That was when I watched one golden arrow fly by Ganon's head.

"A real man wouldn't run," a stranger's voice yelled at Ganon, "but he would stay and fight 'till the end, you coward!"

I looked back behind myself and saw two men running towards Ganondorf and I. Ganon had stopped walking now, and he turned to see who had been foolish enough to call him a coward.

A man wearing a black tunic similar to Link's was standing in front of Ganon and I now. He had dark brown hair and emerald green eyes that sparkled, even in the dim light of the hall. In one hand, the man held a bow and golden arrow, ready to shoot it at the evil king. Beside him, was the Kokiri garbed man that I had been thinking of the whole time. Link was standing before me, his handsome face faced towards me with concern.

I took a step towards Link, completely forgetting the painful hold Ganon had on my arm. My eyes welled up with tears and I smiled at Link. Suddenly, my arm was jerked back and I fell into Ganondorf.

"No, Princess, you'll be staying with me," Ganon growled.

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**A/N: Ahhh, it's bedtime for me right now, but I decided to finish this up really quick and get it posted. Um, I had a band concert that went really well on the 7th...I think. And um, I didn't really like this chapter, but it's just building suspense or something, lol. Well, I'd like to ask you guys a question…Later in the story something will happen. I want to know your opinion on it…Should it be happy or sad? Leave a comment on it please… Hope you enjoyed the chapter…See you in Chapter 10: The Ally; Link's P.O.V.**


	10. The Ally Link's POV

**A/N: Okay, this is starting weird, but I have one thing to say to one of my…readers? I actually don't know if he read it or not, but this is to him. Mr. Ygfi gave me a comment that said this: "i forget, you can have a little soup." I'm not quite sure what that means, so if someone could explain that, or Mr. Ygfi could, I'd be thankful. Oh, you guys that commented, thanks for comments that actually made sense! Alright, back to business. I'm sorry that this took forever to get out. I've been pretty busy lately. I joined a club at school that does community work and a week ago I got a boyfriend. (Not a good excuse, huh?) Well, this chapter isn't quite my favorite. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it.**

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**Chapter 10: The Ally; Link's P.O.V.**

_"No need to get feisty!" the voice replied again. A man stepped from the other side of the fake wall. "I'm Reddell." Reddell held out his hand towards me._

_I shook the man's hand and replied, "I'm Link."_

I stared at the man before me. He looked to be about my age, maybe a few years older. He had shaggy dark brown hair and bright jade eyes. The tunic he wore was black and very similar to my own. In his left hand he held a beautiful balsa wood bow. Jewels-rubies, sapphires, and emeralds-were encrusted in the wood, and the Goddesses-Din, Nayru, and Farore-were engraved in the wood along with the jewels. On Reddell's back was a satchel of arrows. The satchel was made of the same engravings and jewels as the bow was, but with darker colored wood. Inside the satchel were many golden arrows; each of them shining in the poorly lit hall.

"Tell me about yerself, young one," Reddell said, breaking the silence. His scruffy face was dirty as if he hadn't bathed in days. The was something familiar to me since I had also been stuck in grimy dungeons for weeks on end with no water.

"I assume you're not from around Hyrule then?" I asked, since he seemed to have not even a smidgen of a clue to who I was.

He shook his head. "I come from a land that's far from here; completely surrounded by the sea. A tale from this land of Hyrule reached my land. It was a story of these three objects-one of wisdom, one of power, and one of courage-and if a person owned all three of these pieces, they would get their heart's deepest desire." There was a twinkle in Reddell's eyes. He was either a power-crazed man like Ganondorf, or was some one who wanted his dreams to come true.

"Ah, I know much of the triforce," I said carefully. I thought better of telling the man that I held the triforce piece of courage. If I played my cards right, though, I bet I could get him to be on my side. "I've actually been very close to having all three triforce pieces because the evil king, Ganondorf, had them together in one spot. Though, my job is not to gather the pieces, but make sure that Hyrule remains a peaceful place, and to keep evil beings from getting the triforce pieces."

Reddell rearranged the satchel of arrows on his back. "So ya have one of these triforce pieces, and ya're going to save someone who owns another piece so that this evil king doesn't gain control over the triforce?" A sly grin was on his face as he spoke. I was taken aback to how he knew my whole story almost exactly. It occurred to me that he may not be my ally, but perhaps a spy for Ganondorf; Thought I really doubted it. This man seemed that he was truly not from Hyrule. Of course, that was only how it seemed.

I decided to ask him how he knew everything about me. "Reddell…how did you know all that?"

Reddell's jaw dropped and he looked at me in shock before he began laughing. "Aye, good joke, Link! That was a pure guess. There's no possible was that a little thing like you would be on such a mission! I never could have guessed that all right!" He looked over to me and saw that I wasn't laughing, but standing with a half annoyed-half confused look on my face. "Are ya serious?"

My head nodded in reply. I wasn't sure what to think of this man. All I knew was that I should be careful around him, even if he was an ally. For a moment, I really thought I had found someone that could help me in my journey. It had been foolish of me to trust someone that I barely knew.

"Before I came and saved yer life, I had been heading down this hallway, trying to figure out where I was supposed to go since this seems like a dead-end. Then this giant hand-like monster barged past me. I was going to attack it, but I noticed that it was holding a young boy about yer age, Link, so I followed it through that fake wall to try and catch it. When I entered the next room, all those undead creatures were in there. I lost track of the monster and the boy when I went to fight the undead creatures. If that's the person ya're looking for, then we'd better head that way," Reddell explained. It seemed like he was trying to gain my trust by helping me find Zelda.

I eagerly agreed even though I had not a clue to whether his story was true, but if there was even the slightest chance of Zelda being there, then I would look everywhere for her no matter what.

Reddell led the way through the wall, and into the next room. Bright green grass and shaggy moss grew on the dirt floor. Tall trees grew densely, making the room resemble a miniature forest. Above the tallest trees a ball of bright energy was shining down over the whole room. Nearby, the soft sound of running water could be heard; it was most likely a small artificial stream or creek. Birds chirping and the sounds of animals running through the forest made the scene very realistic. The shrill howl of a wolfos foreshadowed the danger that lurked inside the dark forest.

"Well then, I guess we'd better get through her quickly," I said, unsheathing my sword. To my side, Reddell readied his bow and arrow for the journey. We began to travel deeper into the forest. The artificial sunlight did not reach the mossy forest floor. Only in the rare spots where branches didn't grow close enough together , did small rays of sunlight reach the floor. Pastel-colored moths fluttered around the thin layers of light.

Suddenly, pain seared through my side. I stopped and looked down to my still bleeding wound to find that a branch from a nearby bush was latched into my already irritated injury. My fingers prodded at the branch, trying desperately to find some way to remove it form my side without much pain. The more I prodded, though, the sorer it became. I grasped the branch and looked away. Then I held my breath and pulled on the branch. My eyes opened slightly and I watched as more of my blood rolled down my side. Nausea consumed my thoughts as I tried to keep from vomiting.

"Ya need to stop the bleeding," Reddell informed me, "First, wash it out in the stream, and then I'll give ya some healing herbs from my land." Reddell removed a small glass from his pocket. Inside, there was a brownish liquid with bits of things floating inside.

I decided to follow Reddell's advice and clean my wound. My hand cupped my side as I walked to the flowing stream nearby. I knelt down and cupped some cold water in my hands. When I splashed the water against my side, I could feel sharp stings all over my side. I repeatedly splashed the water on my side until it seemed as clean as it could be for the moment. I watched as the blood from my side flowed away down the stream. We wouldn't be able to stay here long or the wild creatures would find us.

"Dab this in and around yer wound. It should stop the bleeding," Reddell said from behind me. He passed the bottle to me.

I opened the bottle and a foul smell arose from it. "I sure hope this doesn't hurt as bad as it smells," I mumbled as I poured the concoction onto my fingertips. The liquefied herbs weren't very watery as they had seemed in the bottle; they were more of a sticky substance. It hung between my fingers in long strands as I applied it to my wound. A few seconds after the herbs were applied, I felt a slight stinging in my side and my head felt a little bit dizzy.

"That should make yer wound heal quicker too," Reddell added. Just then a howl cut through the air. The cracking of twigs and leaves became louder as a pack of wolfos gathered around Reddell and I. Immediately, I unsheathed my sword, and at the same time, Reddell held up his bow and pulled out an arrow.

One wolfos charged towards me, and the others followed. Two of the wolfos ran towards Reddell. I stabbed at one wolfos with my sword; it howled loudly out in pain just as I did. My side was burning badly now. Just then, another wolfos jumped out towards me. I had no time to defend my self because I had been paying attention to my injury, and not to my enemies. The wolfos' front paws landed on my shoulders and it pushed me back, causing to fall to the ground. For a moment the wind had been knocked from me, and I struggled to breath. The wolfos holding me down growled and brought its paw back to attack.

Just in time, a golden arrow went through the back of the beast on top of me. It moaned and fell to my side. Reddell was standing a few feet away from me, his bow in his hand. The carcasses of wolfos laid around him.

"Ya alright?" he asked, jogging towards me. He held his hand out towards me and pulled me up. I nodded my head in reply. "Well then, we'd better get goin'! Yer friend is probably waiting for ya!" Reddell motioned for me to continue. We began to run, my side aching almost unbearably. The rest of our journey was mostly peaceful. Nothing else emerged from the dark depths of the forested room. It was just Reddell and I. There were no more wolfos howling, just crickets chirping and birds singing. In the distance I could see two torches flowing with orange fire, and square between the torches was a large wooden door.

I looked over to Reddell who seemed to be thinking the same thing as I; that it seemed too easy to be true. A door was sitting out before us. Nothing guarding it, and two torches clearly marking the way.

"Should we go in?" Reddell asked, "It just seems like someone wants us to go through that door."

"That's what I was thinking, but I vote that we go in," I answered, bracing myself.

"Then let's go!" Reddell shouted, walking to the door. The part of the door that was inside the frame slid upwards, showing a long hallway. "Another one?!"

I opened my mouth to speak, but a high pitched voice from down the hall interrupted me. The voice called out my name and I immediately knew who it was. It was Zelda's urgent voice that was yelling for me. And without a word to Reddell, I took off down the hall. The dangers didn't matter anymore. I needed to save Zelda. Behind me, I heard Reddell's heavy breathing and his quick footsteps.

We ran up a sew of stairs where we then saw two familiar people running. It was a man dressed in dark clothing, who seemed to be Ganondorf, and a girl in pink that I was pretty sure was Zelda. Beside me now was Reddell and he had his bow drawn back. He released it, as he was still running, and the arrow flew past Ganon's head, just inches from piercing his skull.

"A real man wouldn't run," Reddell yelled, "but he would stay and fight to the end, you coward!"

Just then, the man turned to face us, anger in his dark eyes. It was as I had thought, it was Ganondorf who was holding my princess captive. Zelda also turned to look back at her saviors.

As she looked back to me, I felt my knees weaken. I just wanted to reach out and hold her. Her beautiful eyes looked happy, but slightly frightened. Then suddenly, my vision blurred. My head felt dizzy and I couldn't see straight. Something was terribly wrong.

I watched through my broken vision as Zelda stepped forward. Tears brimmed her eyes, and she smiled at me her angelic smile. She was suddenly jerked backward, and she fell into Ganon with a slight yelp.

"No, Princess, you'll be staying with me," Ganondorf growled.

Rage filled my mind. How dare he treat my princess like that? I wanted to fight Ganon, I wanted to run up and attack him, but my body was paralyzed. Nothing would move. I watched as Ganon raised his arm, and then my vision went black and I felt myself smack into the hard stone floor.

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**A/N: Ahhh, finally finished. I've already started writing the next chapter, but it's not close to being done yet. I definitely hope to get in way quicker next time. It should be, because I'm going to my mom's in NC and I'll be there for a week because of Thanksgiving. School and life are just torture sometimes. I remember when I got chapters in really quickly when I had no school. But that was then, this is now. Hope you guys aren't too mad that this took so long. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And now I'm going to leave and get to work on the next chapter: Chapter 11: Betrayal.**

**Until next time,**

**Serene-Moon-Princess**


	11. Betrayal

**A/N: It's been awhile huh? I'm extremely sorry that this took so long. cries I really tried hard to get this out earlier. I tried extremely hard…But it looks like it took around a month again. I suck at this getting chapters out thing…Sigh, but good news is that my school break starts Friday and I should have plenty of time to write while I sit hear at home bored. Oh wow, that reminds me there's only 9 days 'til Christmas:D I'm so excited. I love Christmas and everything about it! There's nothing bad about Christmas. Christ's birth, celebration, carols, snow (even though it seems we won't get much this year), gift giving, people helping others, cookies, ginger, smells…I love it ALL!!! Okay, I babbled a lot…Sorry, go ahead and read the story. -.-;; **

**Bon Appétit **

**(And uh…that doesn't _really _mean enjoy, as I thought it did, but who cares…)

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**Chapter 11: Betrayal**

Zelda watched as Link fell to the hard stone ground in front of her. Her heart was racing like crazy. The Hero of Time had just fallen for a reason unknown to her, and she was now stuck with the King of Evil and a man she didn't know. To her side she saw that Ganon's arm was raised and a dark ball of energy was forming in his hand. She looked over nervously to Reddell who had his bow ready to release an arrow.

"I can't let you take Link's friend!" Reddell yelled, releasing the golden arrow towards the dark energy that was accumulating in Ganondorf's hand. The arrow whistled as it flew through the air, a bright light emitting from it. It pierced through the dark energy easily and traveled straight into Ganondorf's palm. The dark energy diminished, and Ganondorf released his grip on Zelda to hold his injured hand. Blood was dripping from the deep incision that the arrow had made. Zelda ran towards Link's nonmoving body.

"Meet me in the last room of the castle, and then we will finish this battle!" Ganondorf snarled, still holding his hand close to himself. With those words he threw a black deku nut to the ground. Dark grey smoke filled the hallway. As it began to dissipate, Ganondorf was no where to be found. The only people in the hall were Zelda, Link, and Reddell.

Zelda still sat beside Link's body, holding his head in her lap. "You've got to talk to me, Link! Please, say something!" she cried, fearing the worst. Tears were falling down her cheeks and onto Link's grass green hat.

Suddenly, a round ball of sky blue light rose up from the fold of Link's hat. "Is it raining, Link?" Navi asked groggily, finally waking from her nap. She looked around to her surroundings to see that the 'rain drops' she had felt were actually tears.

"Navi, what had happened to Link?" Zelda sobbed, cupping the fairy lightly in her palm. The fairy flew towards Link and examined his body. She searched for anything that could explain his unconscious state. Then she remembered Link's injury from earlier. Her small wings flew her to the dark rust colored spot on Link's tunic. Underneath the dried blood she saw his now covered wound. Around the covered wound were dark purple lines reaching out towards the rest of his body; a sign of poison.

"I think he's been poisoned. It may have been something that got in his injury from earlier. If he takes it easy he should be able to make it through and fight whatever is in his body," Navi explained, floating back up towards Zelda's head.

Reddell stepped towards the group to add his own bit of information into the discussion,  
"When we were in the forest, the branch of a bush got stuck in his injury from earlier. It may have been a dreambrier bush, which injects poison into anything it gets latched to." He kneeled down beside Zelda at an angle so that he could take a closer look at Link's wound.

Zelda turned towards him so that she could see his face. He had bright jade green eyes and they were staring intensely, as if analyzing, at Link's side. As she was staring at his eyes, they began to darken from their green color to a dark brown. Zelda couldn't help silence the gasp that escaped her lips. She blinked a few times, and Reddell's eyes returned to their normal green.

"Something wrong?" Reddell asked, puzzled at Zelda's sharp intake of breath. Her cheeks flushed bright pink at his words. She felt slightly rude and embarrassed.

"I think all of this is just too much. I'm exhausted," Zelda replied. She looked back down to Link. She hadn't any idea of how to help him. Guilt washed over her. She felt as if Link's unconscious state was her fault. She had been the one who had insisted on being with him. Then she had been captured by the enemy, and Link had injured himself finding her.

Suddenly Reddell began to lift Link up, pulling Link's arm over his shoulder. Navi fluttered nervously around Reddell and Link. She didn't want Link to be left in the hands of a stranger.

"I think if we hurry up we'll have a chance of saving him. Sittin' here mourning won't do anything!" Reddell grunted as he tried to take the strain off of Link's arm that he was pulling on.

Zelda stood quickly, but paused briefly unsure, like Navi, if she should trust the man before her. "Who are you? How do I know whether I should trust you or not?" she asked defensively. She still helped Reddell with Link, by putting Link's own arm over her shoulders. There was a big difference between Reddell and Zelda's height, but it made it easier to carry Link.

"I'm Reddell, from the land surrounded by the three seas of Nium. I met Link while on my own journey to find the triforce. I've helped him out of a few situations since then," Reddell answered. He began to walk down the long, musty hallway with Link hanging lopsidedly between himself and Zelda like he was an injured football player.

"It's nice to know someone was watching over him. Thank you, Reddell," Zelda murmured. There was a relieved smile on her face as she spoke, although her voice hadn't seemed to reflect her feelings. "By the way, I'm Zelda." She moved a loose lock of hair that was hanging from in front of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. Her shoulders were beginning to ache slightly from Link's weight on her shoulder. Even though Reddell was helping her carrying him, it wasn't normal for her to carry much weight on her shoulder.

Reddell looked over to Zelda who smiled meekly in return, but then quickly looked away. After her only slight smile, Reddell opened his mouth to ask her why her smile had been so half-hearted, but he was interrupted by Navi, who was better known as the annoying blue ball of flying light.

"Hi, Reddell, my name is Navi! I've been Link's companion since he was a child! The great Deku tree assigned me to be his assistant!" Navi continued to babble as she flew around Reddell's head, "Where are we going? How are we going to help Link?"

The look on Reddell's face was priceless. He had never heard anyone talk so quickly, nor so much. To his side, Zelda was trying her hardest to hold back her giggles as Reddell waited for Navi to stop talking so he could answer her questions. He politely attempted to interrupt the small fairy, but she began to fly around Zelda's head, still yelling out questions for Reddell to answer.

Reddell finally gave up and yelled out, "PLEASE! Just be quiet!" Navi immediately stopped in her place and continued to hover above Zelda's shoulder. Before Reddell savored the silence before he spoke again , "We're going to find a room so that we can lie Link down. There, maybe I can try to find a potion or something from my rucksack."

Navi flew close up to Reddell's face quietly, and then exclaimed, "OKAY! Let's go find that room then!" As Navi flew off down the long corridor, Reddell exhaled an annoyed sigh.

Zelda finally busted out into a fit of giggles, "Navi really doesn't mean to be rude." Her tears were gone without a trace now, and she began to feel optimistic once again. She felt that Link would actually make it through this. And she was glad that she could smile again, even if it was at such a terrible time. She looked up at Reddell's face, her lips still glued in an angelic smile. He smiled back at her, and she blushed and quickly looked away. For some reason she felt like a shy, young girl again. She felt like she did when she had a crush on Link; afraid to look him in the eye because he might find out that she liked him; afraid to smile at him incase he took it the wrong way.

That's when thoughts of worry began to fill her mind. _"Do I…like Reddell?" _Zelda thought to herself, anxiety filling her mind, _"Does Reddell like me?" _She barely even knew Reddell, and besides that, she loved Link. He was the man that stole her heart,.

Suddenly, Zelda noticed that they weren't walking anymore. The were stopped inside a small, dark room. It was mainly empty; the only furnishings were a ragged, faded brown rug, and an old, dark oak-wood dresser in the corner. There was one stained glass window in the room of an angel with a broken wing, but barely an light shone through.

The weight of Link's body was suddenly lifted off Zelda's shoulder. She looked up to Reddell who was moving Link to lie on the floor. He wasn't smiling any longer, but he looked rather upset and hurt. There was an awkward silence between the two as Reddell softly laid Link down on the rug.

Then Reddell turned and faced Zelda. "Why do you always do that?" His green eyes were looking directly into her pure blue ones.

"Why do I always do what?" Zelda asked, rather confused. She didn't know what she had done. Everything had been normal, or so she thought. Apparently Reddell thought differently though.

There was a rosy pink blush across Reddell's cheeks as he spoke again, "Every time you look over to me and smile, and then I look back to you, you always look away. Am I so repulsive that it's hard to look at me?" Reddell was slowly walking towards Zelda, getting closer to her petite body. Zelda, feeling rather uncomfortable with Reddell's closeness, began to back up.

"You're not repulsive!" Zelda answered, "It's-it's just-different, looking into another man's eyes with so much…trust." Her heart was beating franticly inside her chest. She wasn't sure if what she felt was fear or happiness; fear because she loved someone else, and happiness because she was able to express her feelings. But what she couldn't understand was why she had said trust. Just earlier she hadn't known if she should trust the man or not.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Reddell whispered, still walking towards Zelda, "Because I love your smile."

Zelda had backed up so much that she was now captured between the wall and Reddell. His body was only inches away from her own. Reddell's hand rested on her wrist and began to travel up her arm and neck until it stopped at her face, cupping her cheek lightly.

Butterflies were flying around in Zelda's stomach. She had no clue what she was doing, nor why she was doing it. Her heart was completely in Link's hands, so why was she betraying him like this? Reddell's lips were mere centimeters from her own. If she was going to make a decision she needed to now. Just before Reddell's lips met hers, she turned her head slightly to the side and his lips landed on her jaw, close to her chin.

Reddell, I love Link. I can't do this," Zelda whispered, attempting to escape his grasp, but his hand moved her face back towards his. She looked over to Link who was still lying on the ground. Then, his eyes slowly opened. Just then, Zelda felt warmth on her lips as Reddell's lips pressed down on her own. A shocked gasp escaped Zelda's lips and she pulled away form Reddell who was smiling mischievously.

"What's going on?" Link asked groggily, though the hurt was very apparent in his voice. He weakly rose up on his elbows, cringing at the pain in his side which seemed to hurt almost as bad as it did when it happened.

As soon as Zelda heard Link's deep voice tears welled up in her eyes. Reddell had backed away from Zelda, and acted as if nothing had happened. He had already began to make his way towards Link to help him up. As Reddell reached down to help him up, Link swatted at his hand.

"I'm okay on my own right now," Link snapped, pushing himself up with his hands. The skin on his face was very pale, there wasn't even the slightest bit of pink on his face. He was struggling just to get himself up from his current sitting position, to a standing position. Zelda rushed to his side and attempted to help him up, but he shoved her hands away softly.

"Sorry, Princess, but I just want to work some stuff out on my own," Link grumbled still rather ticked off about Zelda and Reddell. He made it to his feet, coughing as he stood in the same spot. Then as he began towards the door that led to the hall, he seemed to have lost his balance and stumbled towards the door like a child who was learning to walk. He grasped the door frame for balance, closing his eyes for a moment. Still clutching the door frame in his hands and breathing heavily, Link looked back towards Zelda. "Before I knew that you loved me also, I accepted the fact that you could be with another man, but now…betrayal hurts worse than anything I could imagine. Especially when it was the girl I loved more than anything."

As Link stumbled out the door, tears began falling down Zelda's cheeks once more as she cried, "Link you don't understand!" She began to run out the door for Link, but Reddell grabbed her wrist, preventing her from going any further.

"Why go after him when he treats you like that?" Reddell asked, still holding Zelda's wrists tightly. Suddenly, Zelda snapped her hand back towards her body and hissed, "Haven't you caused enough trouble for now?" Then she ran out the door after Link.

Reddell stood stock still, staring at where Zelda had been. He shrugged and then began after the two torn lovers. An evil smirk was formed on Reddell's lips as he walked towards the two.

"It's amazing what a single kiss can do," he whispered under his breath, as if it had all been a plan.

Link, still walking unstably turned to Reddell. "Let's go finish Ganondorf off and get out of here. Where's she hiding now?"

"He said he would be in the last room of the castle, so I'd guess we'd better continue on," Reddell answered, patting Link on the back as he passed ahead of him. Link flashed a dirty look towards Reddell after he had passed. "Since you aren't in the best of shape, and Zelda's just a young lady, I'll lead the way."

With those words Zelda, already ticked off, wanted to slap the man before her, but she held back the urge and silently continued down the hall with her hand tightened into a fist. Link, also still very peeved, felt about the same as Zelda. The both knew that the trip to where Ganondorf was would be a long one. What they didn't know was what they would find out.

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**A/N: Ha! Finished! Yay, now I just have to work really hard on the next chapter and get it out quickly…not so yay. Actually, I enjoy writing, so it doesn't bother me. :D Unless my stupid English teacher assigns me to write some stupid report that will never get graded…I'm gonna change subjects cause I'm just annoying myself. Anywhos, thank you for your comments. I like comments :D. Good or bad, they're all great! It shows ,me that people are reading my story and it must not be all complete crap. :P Okay, I'm going to go now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you stay tuned for the next chapter: Chapter 12: A Secret, A Fight, An Injury **


	12. A Sabotage Along with a Secret

**A/N: Ack, I really am, like, bummed. It's cause I just felt like my chapters haven't been coming out very well since the 8th one or so. I think I'm having a writing problem. :'( Yep, that's just me, I don't want sympathy, (but of course I don't mind if there is :P ), it's just a shout out to see if anyway thinks the same way as I do… I definitely haven't been getting chapters out fast enough, and they probably won't get out any faster. Wood Whispers was on the 19th. I wrote a short story for that, and it took awhile. Volleyball started a few weeks ago… Bleh, I need to stop making excuses and work harder… Okay, well here it is.**

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**Chapter 12: A Sabotage Along with a Secret**

"Link, you can't fight in your condition! Let's go back to Hyrule for now," Zelda urged the kokiri-garbed man who was walking in front of her-though his walk was more of a limping trudge. He barely had enough energy to do that, let alone fight Ganondorf; Zelda still hadn't figured out how he had been able to conjure up enough strength to wake up. She was really worried that he'd actually go and kill himself this time.

**"**I'm not leaving just to come back again," Link grumbled, gasping for air. Aside from being extremely grumpy after waking up, (which would be completely understandable), his energy level was almost completely depleted. He seemed to get weaker and weaker with every pain-filled step that he took. Zelda feared his stubbornness would get him in deep trouble.

"Please, Link," Zelda pleaded, "you're going to get yourself killed!" Tears brimmed her eyes once more. She had cried more in one day than she had in most of her life. Link was being so cold to her. Maybe she really had answered Kaepa Gora's question wrong. Maybe it really wasn't right to be with Link. If Link wanted to not trust her and be a jerk, then she was going to tell him how she felt. "You know, Link, I told someone that I didn't regret things I had done in my life; like being with you even though it's against what I'm allowed to do as a princess, having you stay the night with me, bearing your child…Now though, I'm really not sure whether what I've done is good, because it seems that you aren't happy with any of it!"

Zelda blushed a deep red and then scrambled away from Link and Reddell. She began to wish she hadn't said anything. Really, she didn't even know why she had said such things. Link loved her, and she knew that. She knew that he was happy with her, but for some reason, her emotions were all crazy. It felt like she was on an emotional bull ride.

After Zelda spoke, Link just stood watching his princess run off, his mouth wide open. He hadn't meant for her to run off. Yes, he had been angry, but he wasn't unhappy with how their lives had turned around. Being the impregnator of the princess was definitely more than a little stressful. He also hadn't really wanted Zelda to risk her life and come to help him today, but it had been nice to see her smiling face.

_"Well, until I woke up to find her getting all friendly with Reddell," _Link thought crossly, glancing over to Reddell. Apparently Reddell sat, because he murmured something about how Link should stop catching flies, and that instead, he should catch his princess.

With a murmur back to Reddell-containing only a couple of dirty words-Link began to hobble after Zelda. "Zelda, please, let's talk. I'm sorry!" he choked out, his breathing becoming quicker as he walked. He couldn't see Zelda, as she was already too far ahead in the hall. Reddell watched from behind, as Link made his way slowly down the hall.

Zelda had curled up into a ball, huddled in a corner that led to only the Goddesses knew where. If it led to the last room of the castle, though, then that was where she would try once more to stop Link from walking straight to his death.

_Ssshhp, ssshhp, ssshhp, ssshhp…_Link's shuffling-limping footsteps began to get louder as he neared Zelda. The hallway took a sharp turn, and then continued on for about three feet. Then it stopped and ended with the doorway where Zelda was sitting.

_Ssshhp, ssshhp, ssshhp, ssshhp…_As Link rounded the corner, Zelda stood and took a step out from the door. She didn't want Link to risk his life one more time for her land. What she wanted was for her child to grow up with the most wonderful man as its father. She wanted to get married to Link and no one else; the rules didn't matter. She would flee from royal life if it would allow her to be with Link. Her every thought was changed, and all because the love of her life was close to death.

Then, those crystal blue eyes that made her weak in the knees appeared before her. And before she knew what was happening, Link's arms were wrapped around her small, fail body. His head was buried in her neck; his breath causing goose bumps to prickle over her body.

"Zelda," Link's hoarse, but comforting voice whispered, "There's not a moment that goes by that I'm not in love with you. I don't regret anything that's happened between us."

Suddenly, Zelda could feel moist droplets trailing down her neck, just like raindrops. It took her a moment to realize that the drops were Link's salty tears falling down her shoulder.

Once again, Link began to speak softly, "I need to fight Ganondorf now. If he isn't stopped now-" Link's hand trailed to Zelda's stomach and rested gently there. "I don't want there to be the possibility that out child will have to witness Ganon's wrong doings. Knowing him, he use our child as a target to get what he wants from us." With those words, Link lifted his head and rested his lips on Zelda's, kissing her softly.

"I'm not letting you fight alone you know," Zelda replied, finally understanding Link's will to fight. Her hands reached for Link's and she held them comfortingly. Even though she knew his motives, she still didn't want him to fight. If the dream that had plagued her was prophetic, she feared that this could be the battle that the dream was referring to.

Link tugged on one of Zelda's hands as he pulled her with him towards the door. "Let's go get Ganondorf then!" he tried to sound energetic, but the ore he tried, the more energy he seemed to lose. Still, he continued on, the one thing he really wanted to do was protect his princess. He knew that what he was attempting was foolish. He knew that he was too weak to fight Ganondorf, but he had faith that the Goddesses would help him through this.

Before opening the door he glanced to Zelda who began her transformation as Sheik. She crossed her arms and focused her energy on transforming, and soon there was a bright flash. In place of Zelda stood her male alter ego, Sheik. She nodded for Link to continue and open the door.

Slowly, Link cracked open the door ,and a loud and long creak echoed off the walls of the room ahead. Link took a step forward, closely followed by Sheik. The room smelled of dead, rotting carcasses, and lying near the door was a pile of human bones. Moist dirt covered the floor, and patches of yellow grass sprouted near the walls. Blood red vines grew on the walls with black flowers blooming from them. An organ was playing a requiem-a song of death-somewhere in the darkness of the room. One torch was sitting on the wall, the embers glowing orange. There were no flames, although they strived to live.

The duo entered completely into the room and the door shut behind them. Sheik reached for Link's hand and squeezed it, trying to comfort herself. There was a rustling sound in the darkness that was getting louder as it neared them. Sheik took a fighting stance, holding daggers between her fingers. To her side, Link struggled to unsheathe his sword and successfully keep it held up.

"Where'd Reddell go?" Sheik asked, realizing that he was no longer following them. "We could use his help right about now." The rustling was louder, as if it were right in front of them. As Sheik brought back her arm to throw the daggers into the darkness before them, there was a loud hoot that yelled for Sheik to stop. Out of the darkness appeared Kaepa Gora. His feathers were slightly ruffled all over his body. He looked a tad bit cross about the whole thing.

"Why…how'd you get here?" Sheik asked, dumbfounded. Her stance loosened as the owl flew down towards them. She put her arm out for the owl to land on, and it perched itself there easily.

Kaepa For a looked to Sheik and then to Link before he spoke. "I have learned that there is someone you must face before you fight Ganondorf," The owl informed the two.

"Who is it? How did you find out?" Sheik asked, becoming worried. There was no way that Link was gong to make it through two battles. She had just been debating whether he'd make it through one.

The owl's orange irises began to turn dark until they were brown. It's head began to take a human shape, and Sheik screamed, flinging her arm around. The half-human-half-owl smirked evilly as its feathered wings began to change into human arms. Its body began to morph to that of a human's. In fact, it had turned into one of the suitors Zelda disliked the most. It was Samuel, the prince from the land of Trinium.

"What are you doing here?" Sheik growled at Samuel. Her eyes gleamed with hatred as Samuel stared back into her eyes. His eyes geld an evil, mocking laughter inside them.

"I'm here to help you, poor princess," Samuel said sarcastically while acting like he was saddened by the whole situation. He held his hand up and snapped his fingers. His appearance began to change. Samuel's facial features turned more gruff, his eyes turned green, and his light brown hair darkened. His transformation caused him to look exactly like Reddell. "Link, _friend_, do you still trust me to help you with your wound?"

Both Sheik and Link stared with shocked faces at the man of many faces. Reddell…or Samuel…held up the same small glass jar that he had let Link use on his wound.

"Link, I must admit, these aren't healing herbs in this bottle. It is, though, dreambrier poison, and you don't have much more time to live without a cure," Samuel's disguised voice announced. He then turned to Sheik. "And, Zelda, dear, your kisses are incredible. It was something I never thought I'd experience. It's too bad that I must take you to Ganondorf."

Sheik brought her arm back to slap his bristle covered face, but he grabbed her wrist just inches before it made contact with his face. Her red eyes blazed with fury as he brought her close to him.

He smirked as he tightened his grip on her wrist. "It was easy to get you both to trust me. Especially the little princess whose love was deathly injured." The evil prince stared into Sheik's eyes with lust lingering in his brown orbs. "Maybe the dark king will have mercy on you, and he will let us spend time together."

Suddenly, Link lunged forward and made a stab at the Reddell appearing figure before him. Samuel's disguise disappeared as he grabbed the hilt of his sword after narrowly dodging Link's attack. Breathing heavily, Link gripped the master sword tightly, and stared Samuel down. Again, Link made an attack at Samuel, but he unsheathed his sword just in time to block the attack. Being in better shape health wise, Samuel was able to recover more quickly form the shock of the two swords clashing together, and made a slash down towards the top of Link's head. Just beginning to bring his sword up to block, Sheik could tell that Link wasn't going to be able to make it. She jumped out in front of the sword, and was able to catch the blade between her hands. Miraculously, Sheik's fingers weren't involuntarily amputated. Deep cuts were engraved in her palms, and her bright red blood trickled down Samuel's sword.

"What are you doing?!" Samuel growled, still applying pressure down on the sword.

Tears of pain and frustration welled up in Sheik's eyes as she replied, "I could ask you the same question!" Pain was searing through her arms as she spoke, but she knew if she released the sword now, Samuel would attack again, and she didn't think shed be able to stop his blade again.

"Ganondorf promised me power, strength…he promised me you!" Samuel yelled back to Sheik's question.

"They're lies!" Sheik paused for a moment before speaking again. "You're a coward! You hide behind Ganondorf, believing that he's going to grant you your wishes. I told you before that you didn't have the courage to solve your own problems; you need to stop running away!"

Suddenly, the pressure let up on the sword that was pressed against Sheik's hands. Samuel was silent as he looked to Sheik. His eyes looked attentively at her as if he was thinking deeply about what she had said. Sheik looked back to him hopefully, but he unexpectedly let out a moan as his eyes widened and a sickening wet sound reached their ears.

"I'm sorry…that I¾" blood began to roll down Samuel's lips as he fell to the ground. Sheik looked down as she saw that it was Link who had caused Samuel's death. The master sword slid out of Samuel's side glistening red. Link began to gag and turned his head away.

Hot, salty tears began to trail down Sheik's covered face as she looked to Link. "Th-that's it?"

Link bent over as his side began to sting. He stood upright again and slowly made his way beside Sheik. He sheathed his sword and then wrapped his arms around Sheik. Her head fell onto his shoulder softly and she let herself cry. Just as Link tried to sooth her, the room filled with light and Ganon's evil laughter filled the air. The room began to shake, and suddenly the floor began to rise.

Sheik glanced once more to Samuel's body that lay in a lifeless heap on the ground, and then removed herself from Link's embrace. She once more took to her fighting stance with Link behind her, his sword ready. When the floor stopped its rising, they were on the third floor. They were able to actually look around at their surroundings. There were no windows on the walls, just the vines and black flowers that had been on the lower level. The room was shaped like an octagon and the walls leading up to the ceiling was rounded off then flatted where a single multicolored window was. The window let colored light shower down on everything in the room.

There were no doors, and there was no Ganondorf. The sound of the organ softly playing still filled the air, although the organ itself was nowhere in sight. White candles sat in bronze holders that hung on the walls. Red wax was dripping onto the walls and floor below it.

"Where is he?" Link asked, wheezing heavily when he finished. Just as he tuned to Sheik to ask her if she saw anything, Ganon's deep boisterous laughed sounded through the room. Like magic, pebble sized dots of color began appearing in the middle of the room. The colors all came together like a puzzle and formed Ganon's figure. It stood completely still until a small golden triforce shape appeared on his hand. The figure's features became alive, and before Link and Sheik now stood not a figure, but the real thing, Ganondorf.

"Play time is over," Ganondorf snarled, glaring at Link.

Link unsheathed his sword once more, the blade still glistening with Samuel's blood. Sheik stood beside Link, preparing for the battle ahead of them. The organ had ceased its playing suddenly, and Sheik looked around the room. Something felt wrong. She couldn't quite grasp what it was, but she felt like death was near.

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**A/N: Well, that's chapter 12! I hope you liked it. I'm sorry it wasn't out sooner. I was going to combine it with chapter 13 but decided to make them seperate so I'd get this out quicker...I had a 2 hour delay for school today, so I got it out! Yay! Well, school starts in about a half hour so I'm must go very soon or Dad will be mad that I'm not ready...Bye!!**


	13. Death Comes

**A/N: I've been holding this chapter with me for awhile…I thought I had already submitted it, but just realized today that I hadn't! XD I've actually already written chapter 14 too! I won't submit it, though, until this one has been out for at least two weeks. So there's the news, I'm making it short today...Now you may continue on to the story.**

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**Chapter 13: Death Comes**

Sheik looked to her side as Link took a step ahead of himself and prepared to lunge forward with his sword. Before he could take another step towards Ganon, the Master Sword crashed to the ground from Link's hands, and he fell weakly beside the drawn, bloody blade. His breathing was shallow, and his hands reached for his chest as they grasped numbly, trying to prevent the pain in his lungs. With every breath he inhaled, his lungs burned wildly. When he exhaled, a sharp pain traveled though his chest. Sweat had drenched Link's clothing and began rolling down his face in small droplets. Link cried out as another, almost unbearable, pain seared through his lungs.

"Link!" Sheik cried out, falling to her knees. She leaned down and put her arms around Link's torso. "Where are you hurting?" She began to pull Link up towards her, but he yelped in pain when Sheik's arm pressed against his wound. She began to apologize profusely, but was interrupted by Ganondorf's voice.

"Does it hurt, _Hero_? Are you suffering?" Ganondorf smirked. "I've had your death planned for awhile now. Samuel was easy to use as my puppet, and he followed my plan exactly. Out work was even made easier when you injured yourself, and Samuel was able to give you the dreambrier poison, acting as if it would help. Soon, the poison will claim your lungs and you will suffocate. After that, your triforce piece of courage will be mine, and Hyrule will be at my fingertips." The evil man laughed as Sheik looked up at him with a piercing glare.

Link took the little energy he had left to place his hand softly on the side of Sheik's face. "We'll make it through this no matter what," he whispered, gazing longingly at Sheik. She nodded, wanting to agree with him, but somehow she felt that the happiness they longed for would not end up as theirs. Sheik was able to move Link to a sitting position and wrap her arms around him. His head was buried in her shoulder, and Sheik took his hands as she began to stand, trying to lead him up.

"No!" Ganondorf bellowed, sending a ball of energy at Sheik. She was sent flying and crashed into the stone wall with a yelp. "You cannot help this boy up! If he wants to fight, let him stand to his feet by his own will." Ganon snapped his fingers and the vines on the wall began to slither like snakes on the wall. Sheik, still stunned by her collision with the wall, was unable to move quickly enough to escape from the vines. They curled up and around her arms and neck, preventing her from moving any further.

"Stand to your feet, child! Fight me now or the vines around your princess will tighten!" Ganondorf smirked, his offer was unavoidable. Link had to do as he said or Sheik would be killed.

"Please don't hurt her!" Link choked out. "I'll fight you!" He reached for the Master Sword, and slowly pushed himself up buy using his sword to balance on. With one last glance towards Sheik, Link turned back toward Ganondorf. He prepared for the brutal battle ahead. Ganondorf would give no mercy to him. This could possibly be his last fight.

Just as Link feared, Ganon did not show mercy to him. Ganondorf immediately began his effortless attacks on Link. Dark energy was sent flying at Link countless numbers of time. With each hit, Link yelled out in pain and weakly prepared for the next pain filled strike.

Even worse was Sheik. She was trapped; tied to the wall with vines. She was forced to watch the love of her life suffer. Link fell to his knees, blood rolling out of his cuts and purple bruises forming on his once clear, tan skin.

Finally, it was enough. "Please, stop! I'll fight in Link's place, just don't attack him any longer!" Sheik screamed, tears streaming down her already tear stained face. "Link can't fight you! At least go against some one who can stand without the aid of a prop!" She began to squirm and pull her arms from the vines, but they held tight and dug into her skin.

"Sheik, no, it's dangerous!" Link coughed out, barely even able to see clearly. He was a mess. Blood stained his clothing and entire body. He was near to death. Although Link attempted to persuade Sheik onto a different path, she kept her will to fight.

"You will fight in Link's place then?" Ganon asked, walking towards Sheik. As he passed Link, he shoved him to the floor with his hand. He was enjoying the pain he inflicted on Link. It was the only time he had ever had Link in such a degrading position, and Ganon was being sure to take advantage of the situation. Now he had Link to where he would be forced to watch as he and Sheik fought.

"I will fight for him," Sheik snapped. Malice was shining in her red eyes. She thirsted for revenge. The calmness that the Sheikah tribe were supposed to have was completely forgotten. Almost all of the Sheikah ways were forgotten at this time and moment. "Let me down and I'll bring you to your end!"

Ganondorf chuckled at Sheik's words, but snapped his fingers, causing the vines that were holding Sheik hostage to retreat. "We shall see who rises victorious in this battle."

After Sheik was completely released from the grip of the vines, she plunged her hand into her pocket and brought out many small daggers. She held the weapons between each finger, and pulled her arm back to throw. "Let's begin, Ganon!" she yelled and then threw the blades from her right hand at the dark king. He dodged them, narrowly missing one which caught in his cape. From Sheik's left hand she again threw the daggers, but once more, Ganondorf dodged them. He wasn't playing the offense. He seemed to only be defending; dodging the attacks sent at him.

Sheik made a dash for Ganondorf, and came into an arms length of him. With all of her pent up rage she brought back her fist, and went to punch the man before her. Though her moves were fast, her anger caused them to become sloppy, and Ganon easily caught her hand in his fist as if he were a ball.

He grinned evilly at her, and caught her fist when she attempted to hit him again. "Attacking in anger prevents you from being able to use your strength to your full capacity."

Although she knew he was right, Sheik spat for him to shut up. Her fists were still held tightly in Ganon's large hands. He was tightening his grip on them, and Sheik was beginning to cringe at the pressure. She desperately began to try to find a way out of his hold on her. That's when she noted Ganondorf's unprotected groin area. If she could have, she would've kicked him in the area, but he seemed to be a step ahead of her and used his leg to sweep her feet from under her. Once off her feet, Ganon then was able to grab Sheik's arm, pull her through the air, and then throw her to the ground.

Link yelled out as if taking Sheik's pain when she hit the ground like a ton of bricks. She lost her breath and tried to catch it as he lay limp on her back. Then, there was a sound that made her stomach drop. It was that of metal sliding against metal; a sword was being unsheathed. Her fears were proven true as Ganondorf appeared, standing over her with a sword in his hands.

In the background, Link was pleading Ganondorf to spare Sheik, but was having trouble on keeping himself standing to move towards them. Watching Sheik fall to her back had been pain to himself.

"Sheik," Ganon taunted, "is there anything you'd like to do before I kill you?" He got no response, and Sheik continued to stare menacingly at him.

"I won't go down so soon," Sheik hissed, as Ganondorf brought his sword above his head. He began to swipe it downwards toward Sheik, but she was able to roll through his legs and miss his attack completely. She made a counter attack and kicked Ganondorf in the back, causing him to stumble forward. He turned immediately and came after Sheik. She jumped to his right, but was met by his elbow forcefully jabbing into her slightly bulging abdomen. Sheik protectively held her stomach as she once again fell to the ground. Her thoughts became focused on the growing baby inside her. That had been a hard hit, and she prayed to the Goddesses that they would keep her child safe. She looked up to find Ganondorf hovering over her with his sword readied in his hands.

"I wouldn't worry about the baby! It'll never life if his mother doesn't!" Ganondorf yelled maniacally. Before Sheik had time to react, Ganon's sword was coming at her. She let out a bloodcurdling scream as she closed her eyes and her body tensed, preparing for the blade to pierce deep into her body. When pain never came from the hit, she found that Link stood in front of her, Ganon's sword lodged in his shoulder. Link had taken the blow for Sheik who now stared helplessly at her love. His head turned to look at her and he smiled lightly.

"I don't think…I'll make it through this one, Zelda," he sputtered, and his body fell weakly to the ground. His eyes looked up to Sheik from his lying position on the ground sadly. "I'm sorry."

Another saddened, bloodcurdling scream was released from Sheik's lungs as she stared at the sight before her. "D-don't say that, Link. D-don't say sorry!" she screamed hysterically. "JUST GET UP!" Sheik collapsed to her knees. What else was there worth fighting for? She had lost the love of her life. She no longer wanted to live. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks, her eyes were puffy and red. She no longer had the will to fight.

Sheik felt herself being grabbed by the collar or her clothing and lifted upward. Her eyes fell upon Ganondorf who was holding her up, though she no longer cared.

"Kill me! Get it over with!" Sheik demanded, feeling her facemask stick to her lips with tears. She hoped Ganondorf would kill her just to relieve her of her pain. She no longer wanted to live in a world where there was no Link. From then on, the world would be gloom. No longer would the sun shine down on her. Birds would no longer sing their songs to her. Life would be pointless; emotionless.

"If that is you wish, _Princess of Hyrule_." He said it so mockingly, '_Princess of Hyrule_', but not even this mattered, because Sheik continued to listen to the evil king's words with a hysterical smirk plastered on her lips. "We first must rob you of any part of you left. We shall take your identity," Ganondorf roared. His fingertips grasped the white cloth of Sheik's face cover. That was another subject that no longer mattered to the once pride-filled Sheikah. Holding up the Sheikah law wasn't even the slightest thought in her mind.

Just as Ganon's fingers began to pull on the white cover, he cried out in pain and doubled over. In his side was a golden arrow. The only thing, besides the master sword, that could weaken him.

Both Sheik and Ganondorf immediately turned their heads to see the archer. Standing with a blood stained body, Samuel held his bow in his hand, breathing heavily. Miraculously, Link's attack hadn't killed him, although he was on the near the verge of death. His fingers shakily reached for another arrow and he looked over to Sheik.

"You'd better not give up so easily, Zelda. You had faith in me, and I have faith that you can make it without Link," Samuel said in a hoarse whisper. "You must seal Ganondorf up with the power of the sages. Now, you're the only one who can." He released the arrow, but it missed Ganon when he flung himself to the side.

Sheik stared numbly at Samuel. She laughed hysterically for no reason as tears fell down her face. "Ha, live without Link? I can't do that! I don't want to live knowing that-that Link is…gone!"

"Snap out of it! Do this for Link's child! Grab Ganondorf for me." Samuel yelled, cringing as his wound began to throb. "For you child, Zelda! Your child!" Just then, Ganondorf ran towards Samuel and punched him in the jaw. The already severely injured warrior stumbled backwards, almost falling to his bottom.

Suddenly, Samuel's words seemed to reach Sheik's brain. Link had wanted for their child to live. The least she could do was live for the child. With that settled in her mind, she grabbed Ganondorf's arms from behind him and held them together.

"Samuel, please, do it now!" Sheik cried, closing her eyes tightly.

Following her request, Samuel was able to regain his balance and put an arrow into his bow.

"This will not be the end! I refuse to be sealed away again!" Although Ganondorf spoke boldly, he was struggling to remove himself from even Sheik's weak hold on him. The first light arrow that had been shot into him had drained a majority of his strength. With this last arrow to be shot, Ganondorf would be weak enough for Sheik to seal him away.

Without any warning, Samuel released the light arrow. It traveled through the air gracefully and then penetrated Ganondorf's chest. Sheik released him immediately as he cried out in pain and fell to the floor, breathing heavily. She then clasped her hands in front of herself.

Softly, Sheik began to pray. "Sages, I ask for your help now. Warriors were brought together and suffered through many hardships to seal this evil. Send your powers to help us now." Suddenly, seven different colored orbs of light appeared above Ganon's body and began to fly in a circle. They continued their whirlwind-like actions above Ganon, flying faster and faster until they appeared as one single halo of color hovering above him.

An iridescent diamond surrounded Ganon's body. The triforce symbol on his hand began to glow bright gold. He cried out in pain as the diamond began to shrink along with his body. In the ceiling, a large hole, like a big rip, opened up. There was complete darkness beyond the rip, and shrieks and screams came from the other sealed demons who reigned in the other world. Then, the diamond Ganondorf was trapped in began to hovered above the ground. It suddenly flew up and entered into the rip in the ceiling. After the diamond left the land of Hyrule, the hole seemed to close itself up like a wound. There were no more orbs of light, nor anymore abnormal happenings. All that was in the room was Samuel's trembling, weak body, Link's limp, lifeless one, and Sheik's distressed self.

"It's over," Sheik said softly, turning to Link. She spoke again, but her voice was much louder. "Link, it's over! Wake up! It's over, so please open your eyes." Link continued to lie on the ground, not moving an inch. That was when Sheik began to rub at the tears forming in her eyes.

"You might want to get him to Hyrule as soon as possible. If he even has the slightest heart beat then you might be able to save him before the poison, along with his injuries, takes him away from you completely," Samuel said right before collapsing.

"I'll get you both to Hyrule, I promise," Sheik announced to the now two limp bodies on the ground before her. She was now obliged to take care of the man she once hated. Samuel, the arrogant, cocky jerk he had once been was no longer that. Having friends like him would be nice in the future, and if Link was really gone…she guessed he wouldn't be too terribly bad as a husband.

Sheik mentally slapped herself. What was she doing thinking like that? Link was going to make it. Everyone was going to make it. But Sheik's actions didn't reflect her positive thoughts as she walked towards Link. Tears were running down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. She bent down and moved Link's arms over her shoulders. His body was close to hers as it had been when she first had entered this hellhole. Though, this time, it held no warmth. There was no affection between them, no soft kisses were being planted on her lips. All there was, was an eerie silence as Sheik struggling carried Link over to where Samuel was lying. She continued to hold Link with one arm as she held up her hand and her lyre appeared before her. Link was in her arms, Samuel at her feet, and she began to pluck the strings on the lyre to make the Prelude of Light.

The dark chamber of death around the three began to fade away. All of the vines on the dark moldy walls began to disappear as it was replaced with light grey stone. The teleportation was complete and the place Sheik now stood in was the Temple of Time. She wearily glanced towards the three spiritual stones; the ones that she, as a child, had sent Link to collect. Memories of all the times she and Link had spend together flew around her mind. She tried to shake them away and stay focused on the next step of the journey ahead of her.

With her tired body Sheik carried the love of her life out of the Temple of Time. She once again held up her lyre and played Epona's Song. The gorgeous, brown haired mare almost immediately showed up. It galloped toward the forlorn Sheikah and the deathly looking body of her master. A saddened look appeared in the horse's dark eyes, but stood still as Sheik laid Link's body across her back. Sheik sadly patted the horse's head before she left to get the other fallen warrior. She proceeded with the same procedure for Samuel as she had with Link. She carried Samuel's body out and laid him beside Link on the horse.

"Epona," Sheik spoke desolately, "let's go to the castle…" Sheik grabbed the reins on Epona and they made their way towards the market place.

Many people were gathered in the center of Hyrule; a very common sight. The usual bustling, bright faced people turned to gloomy frowns, and the happy shouts and loud laughing stopped when Sheik brought the horse and people with her. Gasps and whispers went around the whole market place as the people saw their bloody, bruised hero lying across the horse without movement. Samuel and Sheik's beaten bodies also seemed to cause questions to be stirred up from the already forming gossip. Little did they know that their hero was dead, and their disguised princess; heartbroken.

Sheik ignored the questions thrown at her by curios town folk. She kept her eyes straight ahead, staring numbly before her. Looking at the faces of her people only made her saddened and frustrated, so she just continued to ignore them until she reached the gate that led to the castle path.

"Let me though. Our hero, Link, and Samuel, the prince from Trinium are seriously injured. I must get them to Impa quickly," Sheik demanded the guard who stood at the gate.

The guard seemed to take Sheik's presence as an annoyance, and spoke at her like she was an ordinary civilian. "The princess is missing from the castle, and unless you are authorized personnel or have a signed note from the king, you may not enter."

Sheik breathed a frustrated sigh as she realized that no one knew Zelda was Sheik. It was nice to know he was doing his job, but not at a time like this. She whispered softly, "I am Princess of Hyrule, and if you don't let me though, Link and Samuel aren't going to have any chance of living!"

Once again the guard took her statement as false and replied, "Either you're authorized personnel or you have a note from the king."

At wits end, Sheik released the reins in her hands. "Goddesses, please keep me from killing this man," she murmured under her breath. The guard heard this and took it as a threat. He took a defensive stance, but Sheik crossed her arms, taking the stance to transform back to Zelda. When the triforce symbol on her hand glowed bright and a light flashed to begin her transformation, the guard took a surprised step back. Zelda appeared in Sheik's place and the guard's jaw dropped as he let out a shocked gasp.

"Princess?!" he asked, walking near to her. "We've been searching everywhere for you!"

Zelda didn't seem to catch his words. "Please, get them to Impa as quickly as possible!" she cried right before her knees gave out on her and she passed out from exhaustion.

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**A/N: Ah, so there it is. :D I could've gotten this out earlier, as I said, but I thought it was already typed. I've been really busy studying for the Golden Horseshoe test because it's this Tuesday! (I'm freaking out about it, too…) I've had many study sessions these past few weeks, plus I had to work at a battle of the bands for a school thing, and I've had Quiz Bowl practice and Bible Quiz practice on top of that…Bleh. Today I had to go to a Solo and Ensemble Festival because I was playing a quartet for it. (I still don't know my score for that. :'( ) Well, the next chapter, I can pretty much guarantee it will be up in two weeks. I've already written it, it just needs typed. So, that's just an update on life and this story…I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ****Please tell me what you thought about it! **

**Be ready for the (most likely) next to the last chapter: Chapter 14: The Secret's Out.**

**After that there will be one more chapter. There may be a 16th chapter, but I don't think that'll happen…but who knows…I guess we'll see then.**

**Alright, I'm going…Bye XD**


	14. The Secret's Out

**A/N: Well, it's Valentines Day, and although I said I would put this chapter up in two weeks, my best friend persuaded me to put it up after she read the story. She was begging me not to kill Link, but, sadly, that's definitely my decision. You guys will have to read to find out. ;) So, enjoy, Happy V-Day.

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**Chapter 14: The Secret's Out**

Hyrule Castle was a mess of doctors, servants, and messengers. They had all been extremely busy after finding their princess, hero, and suitor in near-death conditions. All of the chaos in the castle had started quickly after bringing the trio in. Zelda, Link, and Samuel had all been seen by the best doctors in Hyrule. Their injuries were seen by the doctors, and they tried everything they could to keep them all alive, more so speaking about Link and Samuel. The three bodies had been treated to the best of the doctors' power. The final verdict of their health was only known to the doctors.

Finally, after many hours of waiting, all three bodies were brought out into the infirmary of the castle. Both Hylians and the Trinian man were brought out in their own cot. The nurses who pushed them, ended their journey by lining them up in a row, only a few feet from the other. In the room sat, the king, Impa, and Navi, waiting to see what had become of the people who had been in a dangerous battle against Ganondorf.

Navi was becoming overly excited, like usual, at the three people who had entered the room. "That man, Samuel, when he was Reddell…He trapped me in a bottle! He gave Link the poison! I saw it, but I wasn't able to stop Reddell! It's my fault! But Reddell was quick! Not even the princess noticed!" the small fairy continued to babble as she flew around Impa's head in circles. "I see now everyone's okay and I'm so happy that I could just fly to Kokiri forest and tell everyone that Link is okay, but I don't know if he's okay, because look at him, he's not moving, he's just laying there and-"

Impa warily looked to the king, who placed his head in his hands remorsefully. "Navi, now is not a good time," the Impa warrior whispered after she watched the king's actions.

A doctor entered the room, and dismissed the nurses. He held many papers in his hand, and looked rather pleased by his patients status. Both Impa and the King looked up hopefully at him. He nodded his head lightly as a greeting, and then walked over to Zelda's cot. She was murmuring things in her sleep about Link, but everyone seemed to be ignoring it.

"I have some good news, and some bad news about your daughter, King Ouja," the doctor announced. The despondent king of Hyrule looked up to the doctor with fear in his usually proud eyes. "Your daughter is not seriously injured. We put stitches in her hands since she was suffering of severely deep cuts, but all that's preventing her from waking now is exhaustion. Now, as you probably know, your daughter is pregnant-"

Ouja's face flushed to a crimson red in his anger. "PREGNANT?! ZELDA IS PREGNANT?" after getting over his yelling fit, he then hissed, "Who's the father?" He looked over to Impa who wasn't bothered a bit by the news, but she avoided making eye contact with the king. "YOU…You knew, didn't you, Impa?!"

"Yes, I knew," Impa stated casually, "But the princess told me to keep it a secret, and that's all you're getting from me. Maybe you should ask the princess when she wakes up." Ouja eyed Impa suspiciously, but motioned unhappily for the doctor to continue with his report.

The doctor, now nervous that the king would kill him, cleared his throat, and began to speak again, "Uh, yes, well the bad news is that Princess Zelda seems to have suffered from a hard blow to her stomach. This may affect the baby's brain, or in the worst case scenario, the child could already be dead." After revealing his bad news, he walked towards Link's cot. "Our hero's wound on his side, just by itself, wasn't too seriously bad, but it seems that dreambrier poison had entered his body through it. Dreambrier poison is almost always lethal, and if Link would've been brought here a few minutes later, there would have been no chance that he would've survived. Thanks to Impa though, we were able to get the cure and inject it into him before his lungs closed off. He's most likely going to survive. About his shoulder; he shouldn't be living with any long term consequences, and after we sewed it up, we applied healing herbs, so it should heal quickly."

Impa smiled happily. "I was worried Link wou-" she was cut off by King Ouja's gruff voice.

"How about Prince Samuel? Will he survive? I wanted him to marry my daughter, although now he probably wouldn't want to be married to a defiled person," Ouja said, talking about his daughter as if she were a dirty peasant.

"You're blind!" Impa exclaimed. "Can't you see that Zelda doesn't like Prince Samuel? In fact, she doesn't even like any of the suitors you send her way!"

The king ignored Impa's words and waited for the doctor's words. It would seem that Zelda got her stubbornness from her father.

"Samuel's wound was deep, but during surgery we were able to make sure all of his inner parts were fixable. It just so happens that he suffered minimal damage, and we were able to clean the wound and sew him up. All he and the others need is some rest," the doctor concluded.

Ouja smiled happily to himself at the news of Samuel's well being. Impa, on the other hand, glared at her king. If there was one thing she hated most about him, it was his stubbornness. He always did things his way and nothing on the face of Hyrule could change his mind.

"Zelda," Link mumbled groggily from his position on the cot. All eyes fell on Link as he struggled to sit upright. He looked straight at the king with his eyes, but Link really didn't see the man in front of him. "Where's Zelda?" Link had become blinded by his sorrows, as the fear that Zelda may have died in his absence arouse to his thoughts. "I need her! I need to be with her!" Link cried, looking around the whole room.

"Link, calm yourself." Impa commanded him, moving towards Link to try and get him back onto the cot before he blew his and Zelda's secret relationship. "Listen, Zelda is resting." She attempted once again to move the hero into his cot, but he plowed through her. His eyes finally fell upon his worn princess. Her breathing was slow and steady as she lay calmly in her place. Her cheeks were light pink, as if she were slightly embarrassed by something.

Quickly, Link made his way to Zelda's side. His injuries were forgotten, although pain seared through him. Zelda's safety was all that mattered to him. He didn't want to find her dead because of his own exhaustion. After blacking out, he had been able to do nothing. He had left his princess to battle the evil king of darkness by herself.

Link took Zelda's injured hand in his own. "Zelda, wake up. Please wake up so that I can see your eyes." His fingers played lightly with her fingers, trying to wake her up. To Link's surprise, Zelda woke from the soft movement. Her cerulean blue eyes opened slowly and met with Link's.

"You're alive!" She exclaimed happily, but softly. "I thought you had gone on without me." Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as Link smiled softly down at her. She had missed that smiled; that smile of encouragement. His smile comforted her and told her there was nothing to fear; she would be safe.

Their moment was interrupted as King Ouja cleared his throat. "This is a joyous occasion that you all three are well-" at the word three, Link looked to Zelda quizzically. "-but, Link, you should back away form the princess. She is not allowed to be so close to men. Although, it seems, she had already given herself to someone."

Zelda blushed deep red, as did Link. Link smiled anyway, and put his hand on Zelda's cheek. "Explanations can come later. Right now, I just want to fall asleep with you." In front of everyone, Link lowered his head towards Zelda's. Their lips met and Zelda's hand went through Link's hair, enjoying what she thought she'd never experience again. They ignored the shocked gasp of Ouja, and continued on with their heated kiss. Then, they parted as Link whispered that he loved her and fell asleep at her side. Zelda's own eyes grew heavy, and she smiled to herself before falling asleep with Link near her once again.

…::i!o0.0o!I::…

It was the next day when Zelda awoke to find herself in her own bed, in her own room. She remembered sharing a kiss with Link, but had it all been a dream? Had she imagined that Link had been by her side before she had fallen asleep? She didn't know, but she was going to find out. Her body ached everywhere and her stomach felt weird, but she forced herself out of her bed. She looked around her room to find it empty. Not even Impa was waiting for her to wake. Her bare feet crept towards her door, the cold stone causing chills to run up her spine. Just as her hand grasped the handle, the door burst open.

"Good morning, Zelda!" Link exclaimed, as if nothing in the world was wrong. He planted a quick kiss on her lips and wrapped her up in a hug. "I love you!" Link was, for some reason, extremely carefree. The thought that he soon was going to confront Zelda's father to inform his on their relationship seemed to be in another universe. Not even his wounds seemed to be bothering him.

"You don't stay down long, do you?" Zelda joked. She smiled up at Link and gave him a peck on the lips in return to his kiss. " I love you too."

The couple stayed in their position comfortably. Link held Zelda in his arms tightly, not wanting to ever let her go. He kissed her forehead lightly, and then rested his own forehead on the spot he had kissed.

"It's harder to hug you now that you have a big stomach," Link teased, completely ruining their moment. He chuckled as she made a pouty face.

"I wouldn't be like this if it weren't for you," Zelda implied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I clearly remember you asking me to '_make you mine_'," Link contradicted, grabbing Zelda's tongue with his thumb and fore finger.

"You're lucky I heard that and not your father," Impa's voice interrupted from behind them. Link released Zelda's tongue and turned to face Impa. He held Zelda's hand by his side, and smiled lightly. "It seems like it was only yesterday when you two were just children," Impa said melancholily, as if she had been their mother. "But that's besides the point. The doctor needs to talk to you, Zelda. He ran tests yesterday after you fell asleep again. It's about your baby. We'll be waiting in the throne room."

Zelda nodded understandingly, "I'll put something slightly more suitable on then," she said, holding the side of her night gown in her hand. Unlike Link, she hadn't had the chance to dress yet.

"Don't fool around for too long please," Impa warned them, since Link would probably stay in the room while Zelda dressed. Both Link and Zelda chuckled sheepishly as Impa closed the door behind her.

Link went to sit on the edge of Zelda's bed, waiting patiently for her to dress, while Zelda headed for her dresser. She reached for the button on the back of her gown, but she struggled to unbutton it.

"Need some help?" Link asked, smirking, He went ahead and walked up behind her without an answer. His hands moved to begin to unbutton the buttons that traveled down the gown. After the first two were unbuttoned, Link began to push the gown from her shoulders. He playfully pressed his lips against the bear skin on the curve of her neck. She apparently enjoyed it and moved her hands to hold one of Link's. With his free hand, Link unbuttoned more of the small buttons and began to push the front of the gown off. Suddenly, the warmth of Link's lips left Zelda's neck, along with his advanced to unclothe her. She turned to ask why, but found her answer waiting at her door.

King Ouja stood in the doorway, looking rather peeved about the situation. "Is Link the father?" he asked gruffly, his anger intensifying as the situation continued.

"Father, I'm dressing!" Zelda shouted, telling the truth somewhat.

"More like Link is undressing you!" Ouja yelled. "What is the meaning of this? Why do you go behind my back and have a secret relationship with Link?!"

Zelda held her gown up to her chest and walked over to her father. "Apparently, you're too blind to see that I love Link! Now get out of my room!" she yelled, pushing her father into the hall, and then slamming the door shut and locking it behind her.

"Um, that may not have been the best way to handle the situation, Zel," Link piped in from behind her. Zelda turned to make a comeback, but Link pressed his lips against hers before she could get a word out. "Just get dressed."

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**A/N: And there you have it…I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be the final chapter most likely. Unless I decide to change it other wise. I'm sure I could make it longer than that by adding more problems in, which I might, but I don't think I will. Unless, you guys want me to, but whatever. I must go to sleep soon because I have to go to the capitol to work as a page for the senator. So, please tell me if you enjoyed this chapter, or give me a shout out on what needs work.**

**Next chapter: Chapter 15: Destiny is Cruel Like That**

**Serene-Moon-Princess**


	15. Destiny is Cruel Like That

**A/N: Yeah, so this is a little late, but I'm sorry, I had family stuff that lasted all of Wednesday that I was going to use as a type day, and then I started my second volleyball league Thursday and I also had to clean house because I had friends coming over. Add home work, and there you have it: about an hour/two hour long break to type. So, today after Quiz Bowl, I typed it up. I hope you enjoy this.**

**Thank you for all of your comments. :D I enjoy them very much!

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Chapter 15: Destiny is Cruel Like That

After Zelda dressed, she and Link began their walk to the throne room, hand-in-hand. They were both silent, not in awkwardness, but just enjoying each other's company. Wanting to prolong the comfortable moment, they took a detour on their way to the throne room, and walked into the courtyard. It had just finished raining, so the air was moist. The sun was shining brightly, causing the raindrops that clung to leaves and petals to glisten like crystals. Link wrapped his arm around Zelda's waist and brought her small body close to his firm one as they walked. They comfortably made their way back into the castle.

When they entered into the castle, they were met by the scent of food cooking from the kitchen. The throne room was only a few feet to their left. They walked to the large oak wood double door of the throne room, still walking close to each other.

Link looked down to the goddess in his arms and smiled playfully. "It seems we're already on your father's bad side. Maybe we shouldn't walk in like this," he suggested, referring to the hold around Zelda's waist that he had on her and the closeness of their bodies.

Zelda frowned at the idea, for she liked the feeling of Link's body right next to her. She liked the warmth that was shared between them when they were in each other's arms. Her father only enraged her. Hadn't he once felt this way as a young adult? Times like this were when Zelda wished she had a real mother. Someone who could share their experiences, but not think of you any differently afterward. Although Impa was easy to talk to like a mother, they just didn't share the special mother-daughter bond that girls had with their mothers.

A comforting warmth on Zelda's lips broke her thoughts. Link's face was close to hers, his eyes still closed. Zelda wasn't able to suppress the giggle that escaped her throat. She couldn't help herself; Link looked extremely adorable as he kissed her.

Link let up on their kiss and looked quizzically at Zelda. "What?" he asked, looking around as he tried to find the source of Zelda's laughter.

"I just love you, Link," Zelda whispered with a huge smile on her face. With that, she opened the door and entered the throne room. Link followed closely after her, but was careful not to get too close in fear that Ouja would kill him if he even glanced at Zelda.

Inside the throne room was highly decorated. A blue carpet with gold markings of the triforce, and other royal Hyrulean symbols, stretched from the entrance, all the way to the king and queen's throne. On either side of the carpet were large white marble pillars. Linking the walls were large suits of armor , famous art work, and more Hyrulean marked tapestries. A large crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling. There were other smaller chandeliers that kept the rest of the room bright with light.

King Ouja was sitting in the left throne, the seat beside him was empty, reminding all who saw it that Hyrule had no queen. Impa stood at his side, and in front of them both was the doctor that had been in the infirmary the day before. Ouja had a stern look chiseled onto his face, and Impa was in her normal crossed-arm stance. The doctor's facial expressions couldn't be seen. He was facing the king, apparently explaining something. The king's eyes wandered to his daughter who was walking towards him with the Hero of Time at her side. Zelda looked up at her father sheepishly and then to Link.

"You needed me, Father?" Zelda asked quietly. It was a little bit embarrassing to be talking with her father after he had seen Link undressing her. Link seemed just as embarrassed too. Zelda noticed that Link's cheeks were slightly pink as he kneeled on one knee; a bow to the king. Link didn't even make eye contact with Ouja.

"Rather, the doctor would like to speak with you," Ouja replied, "but before he speaks, I'm laying down the new rules. Even though you are bearing Link's child, I do not want you to see him ever again…"

Zelda gasped, and Link kind of stumbled backward, horror-struck. They had just barely beaten death to be with one another…when would the heartache stop? What did the two have to do to stay with each other?

In spite of her father, Zelda embraced Link. Link returned the embrace and wrapped his arms around his princess, holding her tightly to him. He felt a warm moistness on his tunic from where Zelda's head was snuggled and she shook in his arms. In order not to cry himself, Link turned his head away and clenched his teeth together.

Suddenly Link brought his head up and looked Ouja straight in the eye. "How can you treat your own daughter this way? If I were you, I'd only want to make her happy. Even if it were Prince Samuel that she loved, I would never stop her for my own desires!" Link yelled in defense of his princess.

"Zelda has an obligation! She must attend to her kingdom. Playing around with men will prevent her from making the right decision for her kingdom!" Ouja yelled, standing from his seat. "She must marry someone who is experienced in the responsibilities of ruling over land, and you, Link, do not fit that requirement!"

All of the sudden, Zelda busted out of Link's embrace and faced her father. "The kingdom can perish! If I cannot marry a man who is better than a suitor, then I will remove myself from the royal family and be with Link!" she threatened her father. It was overall, foolish. She had known since she was a young child that she couldn't marry someone out of a royal family. It had always been that way, but here she was, going against an age-old rule. Of course it had seemed like a fairy tale when she hadn't been deeply in love with someone. Now it was completely different. She wanted to commit her life to someone and she couldn't.

_"Removing her self from the royal family, and then living with me…Is that like running away?"_ Link thought, becoming nervous. He hadn't yet agreed to that. Running away probably wasn't the best idea. The end result of that would be him having a price on his head, and then sentenced to a hanging when he was caught for "capturing" the princess. Maybe persuading Ouja to keep them together would prevent Zelda from wanting to run away with him.

"What about our child?" Link asked the king. "He can't grow up not knowing who is father is!" There was definitely no way that he would let his child grow up, thinking that some other man was its father. Link wanted to have a child that he could call his own. A son or daughter that he could proudly show off to everyone.

To answer Link's question, the doctor opened his mouth to speak. "Actually, that's why you're here. After performing some tests on Zelda yesterday, we found that the baby will be a stillborn. It was killed from an impact Zelda received to her abdomen." At the doctor's words, Zelda gasped. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth that had fallen wide open in shock. She felt her legs begin to shake underneath her weight, and she fell to her knees. Link dropped to her side and embraced her, trying to keep her from fainting and falling to her face. Here the doctor continued to speak, "Because you're a ways away from your due date, and we fear that the body may cause some internal problems, we were thinking that it would be better if we pushed your labor to a nearer date. Really, we were hoping some time this week."

Link brought Zelda close to himself and held the now crying woman in his arms. His hand went through her soft blonde hair, attempting to comfort her as much as possible. Although Link was also in an emotional wreck by the sudden news, he just couldn't imagine being Zelda. Carrying a child and then learning it had died inside of you had to be the most horrible thing in the world. Then, Zelda would have to give birth to a still born.

"I guess," Zelda cried into her hands, "that the goddesses are punishing me for disobeying my father and the laws of Hyrule. To think that my child won't be born because of my own stupidity." The princess clutched Link's tunic in her hands. She continued to sob into the green fabric of her hero; her lover.

Tears were almost immediately brought to Link's own eyes. He could no longer let Zelda blame herself for their child's death. There was nothing she could have done to prevent it. "Zel, it was Ganondorf's fault. He planned this somehow," Link said, trying still to comfort her. He placed his hands light on Zelda's temples and cried into her blonde hair.

Suddenly, King Ouja stood from his throne. "Zelda, I think it would be best if you returned to your chamber," he suggested, though it was more of a command, "and as for you, Link, I think that you should be leaving the castle. I'll have the guards escort you both."

At Ouja's words Impa glared. She made sure that he saw it too. Her hands were now clutched tightly at her sides. While her king was looking, Impa mouthed something at him, and he raised an eyebrow up in interest at her.

Meanwhile, Link and Zelda were sharing one last moment together. If they weren't already dealing with enough! Now they had mere seconds to figure out how they would ever get to see each other again. Castle guards were beginning to walk down from the king, and towards the couple. They needed to think fast, and speak quietly so that their plan wouldn't be overheard.

"Did you mean what you said about running away with me?" Link whispered urgently. He could barely believe the words that were coming from his own mouth. If she said yes, then he would, more or less, be kidnapping the princess of Hyrule. It's crazy what lover could make you do.

Zelda nodded, tears still streaming down her face. "There's only one person I want to go through this with…because I can't do this alone!" she cried, lunging for Link and pressing her lips against his.

"Meet me in _time_," Link whispered, as two guards grabbed him by his upper arms. One guard lowered his grip on Link's arm and grasped at his elbow instead, so that he wouldn't irritate Link's shoulder wound. Another guard took Zelda by the shoulder, and began to lead her out of the throne room.

Only Ouja and Impa were left in the throne room as the double doors shut behind the two torn lovers. Impa immediately turned to face her king. What she did next, she didn't regret. Her life would be at stake, but she went ahead and did it for Zelda.

Impa slapped King Ouja across his gruff face.

"I've been waiting to do that for some time now," Impa growled. "How can you treat your own daughter like that?" She's going through a hard time, and you split her from the only person that she feels can comfort her! You should be-" The angered Sheikah woman suddenly stopped talking as she watched tears well up in Ouja's eyes. His tears weren't from physical pain of the slap he had received from Impa. He was actually crying from feelings that were bubbling over deep inside him.

"You don't understand, Impa," the king choked out, trying not to burst out in sobs, "Zelda's mother died giving birth to her. Just like Zelda, Adina, her mother, was a young woman. Adina had been apart of a royal family, but out families were in constant competition or battle with each other and they never got along. So we, like Link and Zelda, began a forbidden relationship. Adina became pregnant , my father soon died after, and I was left with a kingdom to take care of. Somehow, Adina persuaded her parents to let her marry into Hyrule's royal family, and then she had Zelda. Sadly, Adina survived only long enough to hold her daughter once, and told me to keep Zelda safe and happy. I promised that I would do anything she said.

"And I tried. I truly tried. But when I learned of Link and Zelda's relationship, and then their child…I didn't want the past to repeat itself…It seems I've failed at being a father and keeping my promise to Adina." The king finished his story with a sob. He finally gave up on trying to keep his tears hidden, and they were now falling freely.

Impa stood speechless. She didn't know what to say. When she had arrived as Zelda's caretaker, Zelda had been five years old, and no one talked much about the Queen's death. So, Impa had assumed that the subject was very touchy and had decided to keep her nose out of it., but here she was, 13 years later, and finally learning about the taboo subject.

"Then why don't you let them be together now?" Impa asked softly, still angry even though the king's reason was with good intent.

"Zelda is still too young to be having a child. If she and Link stay together, then they'll only try again, and the next time she'll make it to her labor date. She has just as much of a chance to die as Adina did." The king began to pace before his throne nervously, still weeping softly.

Just as Impa opened her mouth to suggest what he should do, the doors to the throne room busted open. In came Samuel, with guards trying to hold his injured body from entering the room. He pushed his way though, although he was beginning to weaken at the guards' constant pull on him.

"You're making a bad decision…with Zelda and Link! You can't separate them like that!" Samuel yelled. He was immediately yelled back at by a guard who got onto for defying the king. Of course, Samuel ignored the command completely. He had heard from the hysterical Zelda that Ouja was splitting them up, and Samuel was going to try with all his power to prevent that from happening. "I will not marry Zelda! I lover her more than anything, and that is why I want her to be with Link! If it makes her happy; if I'll once again see another truly happy smile on her face, then I would walk away knowing that she was happy."

The guards had almost dragged Samuel completely out of the throne room as he rambled on about how Link wasn't royalty, but he should be. He tried with all his might to get the king to listen to him.

Finally, it worked.

Ouja held up his hand to the guards and commanded them to stop. Samuel stared into Ouja's eyes hopefully, but they still shined with determination. Neither spoke for a long time. They just stared at each other; studying one another.

Then Ouja spoke. "What can you say about Link that can persuade me to believe that he is worthy enough to be my daughter's betrothed?"

A smile formed on Samuel's lips. He was finally getting the chance to pay Zelda back for showing him his weaknesses; for believing in him.

"Well, for one, Link loves Zelda more than anyone I know…He's strong, brave, and courageous for her…" Samuel said dignifiedly. He hadn't felt better in his whole life. Here he was, telling about all the good things Link was; the man who was going to take his love away. Even though he would lose Zelda, Samuel was happy, for Zelda would be able to be happy again.

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**A/N: And there you go. How'd you like it? Once again, I'm sorry that it took so long, but it's done now. I've decided to make…18 chapters I think. Although I've changed the amount many times, and may still. I'm pretty sure that'll be the end. It'll actually be 4 more chapters than I had originally planned, and two more than I had recently planned. XD lol, so that's the story. The next chapter will be up in about two weeks again. So be ready for:**

**Chapter 16: Becoming Fugitives**


	16. Becoming Fugitives

-1**A/N: This took a tad bit longer to get out than I'd have liked it to, but there are only two more chapters left! Can you believe it? It's exciting, but sad, because I just hate endings. XD Well, thank you all for your reviews, that make me continue on with my story and give me hope that people out there like it. :D**

**Enjoy chapter 16!

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**Chapter 16: Becoming Fugitives**

After being dropped off at her room by the guards, Zelda had began to pack for her upcoming trip with Link. She was rushing around her room, still crying uncontrollably about the whole day. So far she had packed some clothes in a satchel, and was looking around her room for anything else she would take with her. Yes, she was definitely going to meet Link "_in time_". It was an obvious hint that he had left. In fact, everyone would probably be waiting for them at the Temple of Time, but she didn't care. This was their chance to make it away from everything. No one could split them apart again; no one could prevent them from doing as they pleased.

After putting her dark Sheikah cloak on, and having a quick check over her room, Zelda picked up her sapphire lyre. She thoughtfully stared at the engravings of the goddesses in the instrument, and then sighed sadly. The goddesses had to be looking down upon her. So far Zelda had disobeyed her father, been disrespectful, decided to run away, had a child when she wasn't even married…Right now, the goddesses had to be planning on taking away the power of the triforce from her. It also no longer mattered to her though. The triforce could burn; Hyrule could burn. All she wanted, no matter how selfish it was, was to get away from all the complicities of life. Running away with Link wouldn't solve her problems. No, it would cause her more stress, but just being able to spend time with Link would relieve the majority of it.

There was suddenly a bang on the door of Zelda's room. The stare that Zelda had fixated on her lyre changed to her door. Impa's voice yelled something from the other side, and then she began to hit the door some more. Zelda took this as her time to leave, so she grabbed her satchel full of her belongings and held up her lyre.

Just then, Impa broke through the door and entered quickly into the room. "Zelda your father…!" The sight of Zelda in her cloak with a satchel in one hand and her magical lyre in the other caused Impa to go silent. "Zelda, what are you doing?"

Zelda looked at her caretaker, and while choking back sobs whispered, "Goodbye, Impa." The princess turned herself away from Impa and then began to play the Prelude of Light.

"Wait, Zelda!" Impa yelled, reaching out for Zelda's disappearing figure. Her hand went through the now almost transparent figure, leaving Impa by herself.

…::ioO!.!Ooi::…

"I wonder if she's coming," Link asked, stretching out as much as he could across the stone steps of the Temple of Time. He breathed a melancholy sigh and looked up at the carefree azure orb of light that was flying above him. The only thought going through his mind was if Zelda was going to make it, or if she was even going to try. She could have decided that it wasn't worth it; that following her father's rules would just be better. He hoped that wasn't the case, although he hadn't wanted to result in running away with Zelda.

"Hey, listen!" Navi yelled, meaning for Link to listen to her, not really listen to sounds.

Sometimes Link would actually try to listen to his comrade, but that was only when he was in a good mood or when he needed help on fighting an enemy. Navi was also good at stating the obvious, like when a dark ring of smoke had formed around Death Mountain during Ganondorf's raid. It had been completely obvious, but Navi had been to inform Link on it. Not just once, but every time he talked to her until he went up to check it out.

Anyone who had even the slightest bit of common sense would know that today wasn't a Listen-to-Navi Day.

"Navi, I'm trying to think. A lot of stuff has happened, and I don't know what to do any more," Link sighed, closing his eyes. He brought his hand up to massage his throbbing head. He just couldn't believe what he was doing.

"But, Link-" Navi tried to finish what she had been saying, but Link rolled away from the fairy.

After rolling away, Link heard a soft sob. He figured he had hurt Navi's feelings, so he rolled back towards her to apologize. There was already too much on his mind now, and he didn't need a crying fairy flying around his head all day. Upon opening his eyes, Link found that it wasn't Navi crying. In fact, Navi wasn't even in sight. Instead, Zelda was standing before him.

"What are you going to do about me?" she asked, trying to dry her wet eyes with her wrists. She thought that Link had meant that he didn't know what to do with her.

"I'm going to take you away with me," Link whispered, sitting up on the steps. He held his arms open for her, welcoming her to an embrace. Zelda rushed into his arms, and pressed her nose into hi chest. She continued to weep softly as she had been almost all day. Link wrapped his arms around her, trying not to cry himself. Watching Zelda cry broke his heart. He wished that he could do something to stop her pain; her grief. If there was anything he could do, he would do it.

Suddenly, Zelda lifted her head and looked into Link's blue eyes. "We'd better go. Impa saw me leave," Zelda admitted sheepishly. She felt like she should have told him earlier.

And Zelda's thought were correct. Link had fought many battles; some that depended on the side of good to win, or Hyrule would have fallen to ashes. There had been a tremendous amount of pressure on him then, but now…Now there was a completely different pressure on him. He felt rushed to get away from anyone-everyone-that knew them. If someone caught him, they get Zelda too, and then it's all be over. It was a strange pressure. Something that seemed as though it shouldn't be as bad as it was. Only two fates were going to be affected by it, but it felt like a thousand. Link guessed that it felt that was because it was the fate of someone he loved. And this love was like no other. He had never had parents to truly love, and Saria had been a childhood crush. This love he shared with Zelda was so many descriptions, and it caused him to do so many things that he, on most circumstances, would never have done. It was crazy. Ludicrous. But amazing, and he was always awed by the feelings that this love made him feel.

"Well, I guess we should go then," Link agreed. He took one of Zelda's hands in his own, and helped her stand with him. Zelda still wasn't smiling yet, and this also broke Link's heart. He wanted to see her smile again, but he fully understood why she wasn't smiling yet. Link didn't want to smile himself. They weren't mentally prepared yet to smile again. There was too much heart break and confusion at the moment.

Link tightened his hold on Zelda's hand encouragingly, and then began to run towards the door. Zelda followed behind him, running nearly at the same pace as Link. They exited the Temple of Time and were met by a cool spring rain. The sky was dark and it fit the mood of all that had happened.

Near the gossip stones Link's rust-colored mare stood, anxiously moving her front feet in the murky puddles around her feet. Rain had soaked her coarse hair and was dripping off of her tail and mane. Lin waked over to the horse and opened a satchel that was hooked to the saddle. He removed a brown cloth, and then tried to dry the saddle off as much as he could before he helped boost Zelda up onto Epona. Link mounted the horse and sat behind Zelda. His arms reached around her comfortably as he grasped the reigns in his hands. Link called out a command and Epona began to walk at a steady pace.

They made their way to the market place in silence. No one was out in the streets, and everything was quiet except for the pounding of raindrops on the ground, the fountain running in the middle of the market, and the clip-clopping of Epona's hooves against the stone street. A man ran past the couple with a newspaper held over his head. He rushed into a back road, and left Link, Zelda, and Epona alone once more. They continued to move towards the drawbridge that led out of Hyrule. It was just as the group had passed the beautiful Hyrulean fountain that someone finally caught the fugitives. From the north entrance to the castle path, an army of knights were sitting proudly upon their stallions. Leading them all were Impa and Samuel. Samuel pulled on the reigns of his horse and it stepped forward from the rest of the group.

"Link, Zelda, you need to come back to the castle!" Samuel yelled to them. "Stop being so childish!"

"I'm not taking Zelda back there just to watch her become heart broken all over again," Link called over his shoulder angrily. He dug his heels into Epona's sides, and she veered forward. Epona raced out of the market place, but slowed as she neared the drawbridge. The reason; because someone was trying to stop them from getting out of Hyrule Town and was closing the drawbridge. It was rising slowly, so it was low enough for Epona to get across. The only problem was that it was high enough that if Epona jumped it, she could injure herself.

As Link struggled with what decision to make on his dilemma, Zelda had already saw the problem and reasoned it out. They only had mere seconds before the drawbridge rose too high for Epona to run and jump. If they didn't do it now, the people behind them would catch them. Zelda glanced behind herself and saw Impa and Samuel nearing them. She decided to make her decision.

"Just go!" Zelda screamed, urging link to attempt jumping the drawbridge.

Link pulled on Epona's reigns, and she dashed forward. They made it at a perfect angle, and Epona was able to run across the still rising drawbridge and jump to freedom. Epona landed gracefully on the slick, mud-filled ground without faltering. She stopped only for a second to regain her bearings, and then sped forward. Link didn't know where they were going to go now. He hadn't planned anything out before hand. All he had wanted to do was see Zelda again, and try to make her happy. Now that he was stuck in the middle of what, at the time, he had thought was an alright decision, he was beginning to wonder what he had done. Link needed at least a day to think about what they could do; where they could go.

"Zelda, we need to stop and make plans," Link sighed, heading towards the eastern side of Hyrule Field. "Is it okay if we hide out in Kokiri Forest for a day?"

There was silence from Zelda. She just continued to sit quietly, staring blankly straight ahead. Her chin then fell to her chest as she dozed off. She was tired. All she wanted to do was sleep. Where didn't matter; just as long as she was with Link.

Link took Zelda's silence as disapproval and sighed. "If that's not where you want to go, then tell me. I don't really have a plan here." He wanted to go somewhere before anyone found them. Kokiri Forest would most likely be the safest and least thought of place to check.

After hearing link speak the second time, Zelda attempted to stay awake to reply. "Mmm…yeah, it's good…" she mumbled groggily before falling back asleep. This time she leaned back against Link and let her head fall back near his chest. Rain fell on her face and down her neck, soaking the clothing under her cloak. She somehow remained asleep through the cold moistness.

Looking down, link noticed that Zelda had been sleeping and still was. He chuckled lightly as her nose scrunched up when a drop of water fell on the tip of her nose. The rest of the trip was made in silence. Zelda needed the sleep; she'd had an extremely eventful day. So Link continued on his way to Kokiri Forest, balancing Zelda between his arms as the rain fell down on them.

…::ioO!.!Ooi::…

It had stopped raining when Epona finally reached Kokiri Forest. Beyond Death Mountain the sun was setting, and a soft orange-pink glow had filled the sky. Clouds loomed in the distance, shadows of orange and pink highlighted their mounds of soft fluff. The air was moist, and it left the fragrance of grass and warm ground to float through the air.

Pure serenity.

Or so, that was how the land of Hyrule seemed to make it. Link's mind was no where near to being serene. His mind was wrecked with thoughts of what to do about helping Zelda run away with him. If the king caught them now, Zelda would probably be banished from the right of ever being queen, and Link would be executed.

"Hey, listen," Navi shouted, and then quickly continued before Link could stop her, "You should probably go into the forest before they find you sitting here."

Link looked up to the fairy with a dumbfounded look. The fairy's words finally seemed to reach his brain, and Link looked around at his surroundings. He had been sitting on Epona, right in front of the hallow log that led to Kokiri Forest, for about five minutes now. And still, he continued to sit with Zelda sleeping comfortably in his arms. He had been too caught up in the unfairness of the serenity of the land to be paying attention.

All of the sudden Link heard hooves beating against the muddy plains. It was the fear that they would get caught that finally urged Link to move. He pulled Zelda up into his arms, carrying her light body, and then flipped his leg to the side of Epona and slid from the saddle. His boots sunk into the mud, preventing him from moving quickly or silently. The sounds of horse's hooves squishing in the mud was getting louder.

_"Will we really be caught this soon?"_ Link thought to himself. _"Is this where it will end?" _He attempted to run, but with each step he took, his boots would stick in the mud and pull off of his feet. Behind himself he heard a horse neigh and he turned towards it to accept defeat. To his surprise he found that there was only a wild horse behind him. It held no saddle on its back nor any horseshoes on its feet, and after seeing Link it ran away quickly.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't caught yet. It was probably too good to be true that they'd never be found. Eventually they'd be caught. Being caught was inevitable. At least they'd be able to hide out for a little bit.

Zelda stirred in Link's arms, and Link looked down in fear that he had woken her. All she did was turn towards Link's chest. Link began to walk slowly, the mud still pulling at his boots, but it seemed that when he wasn't frantic to get away that it was easier to walk in the mess. He walked through the hallow log, and across the bridge that led to Kokiri Forest.

When Link entered the forest he found the ground littered with a white misty fog. The fog encircled the small tree-houses, leaving an eerie feeling in the usual carefree place. Mido was napping gently beside the sign that informed the others that it was his house behind the wooden sign. Other Kokiri were out and about, relaxing without a care in the world. Some of the small child-like Kokiri greeted Link, while a great majority stared at the beautiful woman he held in his arms. Link wished they'd stop; that they'd all go away. At anytime these fellow Kokiri could slip something to Impa, Samuel, Ouja, a Hylian. They didn't know who the princess of Hyrule was. They had never seen her. Kokiri were secluded to the world, never traveling past the bridge that led out of their precious forest. Still, the Kokiri could say Link had brought in a woman, and then it would all end.

With that in mind, Link hurried towards his own house where he had previously lived as a child. He looked up the old wooden ladder that led to the front porch of his home. If Zelda was awake, this would be easy, but, of course, she wasn't. Now Link had to face the obstacle of getting Zelda and himself up the ladder. He tried moving Zelda slowly, so that half of her body was hanging over his shoulder. She didn't move much and miraculously continued to sleep.

Link climbed up the ladder easily, and entered his house with Zelda still sound asleep. He laid Zelda down on the small Kokiri bed, and then walked off to find some pillows and blankets. Zelda couldn't sleep on the child-sized bed for the rest of the night. It was way too small for her fully grown body. In a cabinet next to the bed, Link removed four fluffy pillows and three big soft blankets. He spread two blankets out on the floor and threw the pillows on top. Then Link picked Zelda up once more and laid her down lightly on the blanket. He placed the last quilted blanket over Zelda, and watched as she slept soundly.

Sleep began to over come Link and he removed his boots and his tunic, leaving him with a bare chest and only thick tights to keep his lower body warm. He then snuggled himself under the blanket Zelda was under and began to fall asleep beside her.

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**A/N: Wow, it's done! I hope you enjoyed it. :D Well, I'll try to get the next chapter up in two weeks or less, which has been my goal for the last couple chapter, but sometimes it takes longer.**

**Please review and tell me what you think. I love hearing from you all. Be ready for chapter 17!**

**Serene-Moon-Princess**


	17. Caught!

**A/N: Well I'm sorry for getting this chapter in a little bit late. I've been trying to get them in by two weeks. This is our Spring Break so I've had plenty of time to work on this. Thank you so much for reviewing, I hope you continue to do so. There's only one more chapter left! I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_There was a slight mix up on King Ouja's name. For some reason I changed his name to Freal. It should be fixed now, so I hope this dosen't cause too many problems._**

**Chapter 17: Caught!**

It was early the next morning when Zelda's eyes finally opened after her slumber. They scanned over the room aimlessly, and she almost fell back asleep. At the unfamiliarity of the room, though, she jolted to a sitting position with a gasp. Her heart began to race in fear that someone had found her. She relaxed when she saw Link sleeping peacefully beside her. The blanket they were under laid limply right below Link's belly button. Zelda smiled as she looked at his abs that looked as if the goddesses had chiseled them on with their own hands. His skin was perfectly tanned and looked extremely smooth.

Unable to control herself any longer, Zelda reached out to touch the skin on his stomach. Her fingers brushed across his smooth skin, and she smiled to herself. A yelp escaped her mouth as Link suddenly grabbed her hand. He pulled her down to him and their lips met. Zelda's hair cascaded down over Link's face, and he smiled into their kiss.

"You tickled me while I was trying to sleep!" Link playfully scolded her. He put his arms around Zelda and brought her down against him into a hug. Zelda sighed happily, resting her head in Link's neck. Link softly moved his hands through Zelda's hair, and whispered to her that he loved her.

The morning felt so calm to the couple that was wrapped in each others' embrace. They shared their warmth with each other and laid silently, listening to the sounds around them. Birds were chirping outside in the humid morning air, a cuckoo crowed in the distance. No one was up to interrupt them or separate them.

"It's strange," Zelda whispered, "I never dreamed that any of this would happen." There was the slightest hint of sadness in her voice. It sounded remorseful, like she wished that none of it had ever happened. Her hand moved to rest on her stomach, and she sighted. "I can't believe it's dead."

Link didn't understand what the sudden mood swing was about; Zelda had seemed to be in a playful, happy mood. He remained quiet and made no comment on his thoughts of the subject Zelda had brought up. Really, he was only trying to avoid the subject because it was still too hard for him to take. Someday he was going to have to accept the facts, but he couldn't now. Not when it already seemed like everything was falling apart.

To change the subject, Link began a new conversation. "We should probably get going. If we leave now, we can get a head start before everyone comes looking for us."

Zelda whined and enlaced her fingers with Link's; she didn't want to go. She didn't want to face Hyrule, or even life, but she knew that if she stopped running now, everything would catch them.

As if in spite against Zelda's thoughts, there was a loud knock against the wooden door of Link's home. Link immediately reached beside him for his sword, but to his surprise, found nothing. He looked around, trying to remember where he had put his weapons and items. Then it hit him. His weapons were still in Hyrule Castle. He had left them when the doctors had been taking care of him. After that, he had been thrown out of the castle, and really, his mind hadn't been on his weapons. But now, something or someone was standing outside of his door, and he was defenseless.

Link sat up, still holding Zelda in his arms, and watched the door inventively. Then, from the other side of the door Samuel's voice yelled out a command for Link to come outside. Zelda choked back a sob as Samuel broke the door down. He entered in, along with Impa, and sighed.

"It looks like this will be good-bye for awhile, Link," Zelda whispered, standing reluctantly to her feet. She watched as his face changed emotions, and he began to stand. Zelda moved away from Link and walked towards Impa, giving herself in. "Go ahead, Impa, take me away."

Impa's eyebrow raised curiously, and then she turned to Samuel. Anger was shining through the Sheikah woman's red eyes. "Have you not told them yet?!" She yelled angrily. "Is this why we're on this wild goose chase around Hyrule?!"

"I tried to tell them! You were there! But they wouldn't listen because they're afraid we're going to split them up!" Samuel shouted back.

Both Link and Zelda looked at each other in confusion. They hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on.

"What is it that you've failed to tell us, Samuel?" Link asked, trying to remain as calm as possible. He was beginning to wonder if running away had been apart of some type of plan.

Samuel fidgeted under Link, Zelda, and Impa's intense stare. "Well, actually…You guys wouldn't listen, but I tried to tell you, so you can't hurt me!…I persuaded the king to allow you two to see each other."

Link fell to his bottom with a relieved sigh, while Zelda, already an emotional wreck, busted into tears.

"You idiot! Why didn't you tell us sooner?!" Zelda screamed, taking a step forward and slapping Samuel on the face. Everyone fell silent as Samuel stared at Zelda in shock. She had just slapped the man who had persuaded her father to allow her to see Link. As soon as that realization came to Zelda, she gasped and began to apologized profusely while still crying.

"I think she just wanted to slap someone," Impa joked, smiling at her princess who was now hugging Samuel around his waist. Impa lessened her smile as she returned to the task she had been appointed to by King Ouja. "Even though this is a joyous occasion, I have been given orders to bring you back as soon as possible, Zelda. Your father scheduled for you to have your baby today. The doctors wanted it out as you may recall."

Zelda released Samuel from her embrace and lowered her head. She nodded solemnly, and then sat on Link's lap. He took her hand comfortingly as she proceeded to cry into his shoulder. Every time Zelda was reminded that she was going to give birth to a stillborn, her heart broke in half. She felt miserable and depressed at the mention of birth. Even with the news of Ouja's decision, Zelda felt as if the world was about to crumble to ashes.

Link stood, making Zelda stand with him, and he kissed her gently on the lips. "Please," he cooed, "have a little more courage and strength." And for some reason, Link's words caused Zelda's crying to soften. Then Link was able to put his tunic and hat back on without worrying about trying to console her and stop her crying.

After Link dressed, Impa and Samuel prepared their horses to leave, and Link led Zelda to Epona. Epona was still standing outside of the Kokiri Forest, and Link realized that was how Impa and Samuel had found out where they were hiding. It hadn't been a terrible thing though. Now they at least knew the king would let them be together. And even though they were losing their first child, they could always try again.

The trip to Hyrule was ultimately made in silence. Samuel had attempted to start up a conversation, but no one felt like talking. The sky began to change from its orange glow to a cerulean blue. Fluffy white clouds decorated the sky, making it look like a picturesque scene. Zelda miraculously fell back asleep in Link's arms during the ride to Hyrule, and everything almost felt normal.

When they finally reached Hyrule Castle, and were inside, they were met by King Ouja and the doctor from before. Zelda was still sleep in Link's arms, and whispered fro them to be quiet. He still wasn't completely happy about all that had happened between him and the king.

"We'd like to go ahead and get Zelda ready for her labor," the doctor said calmly. "If you'll just get her to the infirmary we can prepare."

Link nodded and began to walk silently to the infirmary. He didn't know how they were going to make Zelda have their child so early, in fact he knew nothing about child birth at all. This was scary to him. He had already lost his child. Link reared that something could possibly go wrong, and Zelda would end up leaving him too.

Before Link knew it, he was standing in the infirmary. It was less busy than it had been when Zelda, Link, and Samuel had been brought in near to death. There was one bed set up with medical equipment set up on metal trays. There was a syringe filled with medicine, and many other metal objects.

A nurse came over to Link and asked him to place Zelda in the bed. She smiled lightly as Link laid the petite girl down. Zelda awoke as soon as her head hit the thin pillow, and Link smiled down at her. He brushed her hair form her eyes and leaned down to give her a kiss.

"I'm worried, Link," Zelda whispered. Her eyes showed fear, and it told Link that she didn't know about child birth either.

Link tried to cover his own worry with a smile. If Zelda was worried, Link wasn't going to be able to feel secure about the whole procedure. "I'm sure everything will be fine," he cooed, hoping his own words were true.

At the moment Impa and the king entered into the room. A nurse whispered something to Ouja and he nodded his head in reply.

The nurse began to walk towards Link and Zelda. She was holding a thin white gown in her hand and a paper bag to hold Zelda's clothing in. "Link, dear, we need you to exit the room. Zelda needs to change into her medical gown." The nurse spoke in a happy, up-beat tone, and smiled constantly. She pretty much intimidated Link. He couldn't understand how she stayed so happy. Before the nurse began to push Link out of the room he kissed Zelda lightly on the cheek, and exited the room with King Ouja.

In the hallway there was an almost awkward silence amongst the two men. Link was worried King Ouja was going to kill him at any moment for taking Zelda away. Heck, he didn't even know if Samuel and Impa had been telling the truth. The king could possibly have planned the whole thing and was going to banish him from the kingdom.

The king, on the other hand, felt rather embarrassed by the whole situation. He caused an uproar among his own kin, caused his daughter to run away, and overall treated everyone terribly.

"Link," the king began. Link immediately looked up to Ouja attentively. "I hope you won't hold too many ill feelings toward me. I do admit that I took things out of hand, so I'd like to ask for your forgiveness."

That wasn't what Link had expected. He quickly snapped from his dumbfounded stage to reply. "No, your majesty, you were only wanting to protect your daughter. I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I took your daughter with out your permission on a plan to run away with her. If you want your daughter to see someone more suitable, then I'll leave now." Link lowered his head in shame, hoping that Ouja wouldn't listen to him, and would let him continue to see Zelda. Ouja only continued to be silent, as if he were in deep thought.

"Well, I guess I'll get my weapons…" Link murmured, deciding that the King's silence meant for him to leave. He placed his head in his hands in despair. He lost the only thing that was important to him, and there was nothing he could do to fight it.

"Link, wait, that's not it at all," Ouja quickly shouted. "Samuel told me of your courage, your strength, and your kindness to Zelda and the people of Hyrule. He convinced me to let you stay with Zelda, but there is one condition." The king stared Link straight in the eye as if asking him if he would face the condition.

The thoughts going through Link's head were so jumbled up by the news that he couldn't think straight. He tried to focus his mind on this 'condition' Ouja was talking about, but he already knew that no condition could stop him from being with Zelda.

"I don't mind a rule that I must abide by," Link whispered, "as long as I am with Zelda nothing else matters.'

Ouja smiled happily at Link's words. "Well, you must promise me that you will make Zelda happy. Don't make her sad as I did. And take care of her forever and always."

Link breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back at the king, nodding in agreement. "Of course I-" Suddenly, Zelda's high-pitched scream pierced through the air from the infirmary. Immediately, Link ran into the infirmary. Inside he found Zelda with her legs up and spread apart, ready to give birth. Tears were streaming down Zelda's face and she screamed in pain once more. Link raced to Zelda's side, and she seemed to relax slightly.

The nurse beside them called for a doctor, and then began to explain the situation. " We injected some medicine into the Princess' blood stream and it worked faster than we expected. It was meant to quicken her labor, which it definitely did. Now we need a doctor to break her water."

Zelda looked up to Link and took his hand in hers. It wasn't long before the doctor was there and the procedure of manually breaking her water. Link stayed by Zelda's side, continually urging Zelda not to give up. Minutes passed and Zelda was soon being commanded to push. Link turned his head as the stillborn's head began to emerge from Zelda's body. The doctor helped to remove the stillborn's dead body, and both Zelda and Link watched at the baby's corpse was picked up.

Everything was silent. The usual joyous first wail of a baby was not present in the delivery room. It was just a monotonous silence. It was so silent that it hurt the ears of all in the room. It almost became a lonely quiet, and it seemed like no one was there.

The doctor who delivered the child brought the tiny body over in a blanket. The body was extremely small, and its features were barely even formed. "It's a boy. Would you like to name him?"

Zelda looked to Link in despair with tears in her eyes. She reached for the blanket-covered child shakily, still weak and tired from child birth. Link brushed his fingers lightly against the infant's moist skin and kissed Zelda on the forehead.

"I think Brendan would be a wonderful name," Link suggested, looking at the small closed eyes on the child's face.

"Yes," Zelda whispered, "Brendan it is."

**A/N: Wow, this chapter is finally up. I'm so tired…bleh. Wellll, the next chapter will be the last and it should be up soon. It will be Chapter 18: Here We Are. I hope you stay tuned for the final chapter, and will continue to review! I enjoy your comments very much!**


	18. Here We Are

**A/N: Wow, so this is the last chapter. It's been almost a year since I've been working on this story, and now it's finally finishing. I'll save my speech for the end of the story, and I'll let you get to the story. Thank you for supporting me this whole time, and enjoy the final chapter. (Sorry it took so long, the document upload-y thingy wouldn't work at first!)**

**Chapter 18: Here We Are**

It had been months since Brendan had been born. His funeral had been held a few days after his birth and the sorrow and remorse slowly died down to only the memory of the hurt. King Ouja allowed Link and Zelda to stay together, and after a month Link finally informed Ouja of his proposal he had made to Zelda months earlier. The king was, surprisingly, overly joyous about the news and began wedding plans right away. Link and Zelda were to be wed.

So here they were. It was their wedding day. A hot sunny day in the middle of July. The wedding was to be taken place in the courtyard, which was decorated with pink and white flowers. White chairs were set up on either side of the large Hylian fountain, and a large white carpet was spread out in the middle for the path that Link and Zelda would walk. A priest stood on a large stage that was sitting before all of the guest who were now gathering.

That was the peaceful part. Inside the castle was chaos.

Zelda had about ten maids working on her hair, make-up, and dress. She was barely halfway ready and the wedding started in fifteen minutes. Impa stood at her side, trying to keep Zelda as calm as possible, but her attempts were futile.

"If I could just see Link I would feel better," Zelda whined to Impa, trying to persuade her to let her in. She hadn't seen Link in almost two days. He and Samuel had left the day before as part of tradition.

"Now, Zelda, the groom can't see the bride before the wedding," Impa replied, knowing fully that Zelda's reply wouldn't be a good one. And Impa was right because Zelda crossed her arms and began to pout. Impa rolled her eyes at her princess and began to place bobby pins in her hair.

In other parts of the castle, Link was also preparing for the upcoming wedding. Samuel and Navi were by his side, all of them chatting idly. Really, Navi was screaming excitedly, but Link and Samuel chose to ignore her and they attempted to have a conversation over her screaming. They were interrupted when one of the castle servants told Link that he needed to report to the courtyard because the priest was waiting for him.

Link took a deep breath before standing to his feet. "Well, here it goes," he said, walking towards the door. Samuel followed behind him, patting him on the back comfortingly. Although Samuel was trying to help his friend, Link wasn't affected by it. His palms were beginning to become clammy, and he could feel butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. He guessed it was because there were so many things that could go wrong, or maybe it was just the thought of becoming a part of Zelda's family.

It wasn't long before Link found himself standing at the left-hand side of the priest. His heart was racing anxiously as he waited for Zelda to walk up the isle. To waste some time, he looked out at the crowd of people who were sitting before him. The first person he caught eye contact with was Impa. She smiled brightly up at Link and he smiled sheepishly back.

"Are you nervous?" Samuel whispered from beside Link.

Link turned just enough to whisper back, "How's you guess?" Samuel only chuckled lightly because music had started and the doors that led to the courtyard were being opened. Link's attention immediately went to the doors, and he awaited for his princess to step out. Then, as if in slow motion, Zelda began to walk out of the castle. Whispers went around the crown, and Link couldn't believe his eyes.

Zelda looked absolutely wonderful.

The dress Zelda wore was pure white silk. It was strapless and tight around her breast and waist, defining every perfect curve. From her waist the dress flowed loosely like a waterfall of silk. It would have continued to flow until it drug on the ground behind her, but two young girls held the silky fabric up. Zelda herself looked perfect. Her hair was up in a bun with small golden ringlets cascading down from the ball of hair. Her skin looked extremely soft and flawless. Her makeup had been applied lightly, and it let her bright blue eyes stand out. The Hyrulean crown on her head sat above the white veil that hung lightly over her face.

Link wanted to run and grab the girl up in his arms, but he knew he could wait until later. Samuel whispered something to him, but Link only continued to stare at the beautiful woman who he would soon be able to call his wife.

As Zelda stepped from the castle she squinted in the sunlight. Everything looked so perfect, and she couldn't help but smile at everything. Zelda suddenly heard someone whispering at her. She looked up towards the voice and saw her father urging her to move forward. It was just then that Zelda realized she was still standing right outside of the castle. She blushed a rosy red and then began to walk towards her father. She wrapped her hand around her father's arm and he smiled at her and began to lead her down the isle. The bridesmaids and groomsmen followed after Ouja and Zelda.

While Zelda began, what seemed like, a never-ending journey to the stage she looked up to see the love of her life. She immediately caught eye contact with him and she smiled upon him. He was traditionally dressed in the armor he wore to battle, which for him was his green tunic and boots. His sword was in his sheath and handing, along with his arrow satchel and shield, on straps that buckled behind his back. He had a slightly nervous smile on his face, his golden locks falling in his eyes.

Zelda looked away before she embarrassed herself once more. She had decided to pay attention just in time too, because she and her father had just reached her spot next to Link. As King Ouja left, Link reached for Zelda's veil. He softly moved it so that it laid behind her head instead of in front of her face. Zelda smiled at Link, and then the two turned towards the priest. Zelda began to reach for Link's hand, but realized she had forgotten to give her large bouquet of flowers to her maid of honor. She blushed once more, and then passed the flowers to Malon, her maid of honor. After turning back to Link she tool his hands in her own.

The priest was finally able to begin the ceremony, starting with how marriage was supposed to be. It was hard for Zelda to concentrate on his voice though, and she assumed that was how Link was also. IT was hard to believe that they were both there, getting married. Neither had ever thought marriage would be possible for them. Zelda could feel tears of joy beginning to well up in her eyes as the priest began to say the vowels for the couple. Then, before they knew it, it was time to accept the vowels and each other.

"Link, do you take Zelda to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest asked, peering over top of his glasses.

Link looked Zelda straight in the eye and smiled. "I do," he announced proudly. He felt himself become anxious to kiss Zelda, but tried to stomp down the feeling until the time came. As he looked at Zelda he grinned devilishly, and he saw he roll her eyes playfully. Somehow, she knew what he was thinking.

The priest slowly turned to Zelda and asked her the same question he had asked Link. "Do you, Zelda, take Link to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Zelda had to be careful not to answer to hurriedly, because she had been anticipating to say the two words for months. "I do," she said smiling happily. She felt like the luckiest person on the world.

"Now, if anyone objects to the union of this man and this woman, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest said speaking to the crowd. After he spoke the last word, Zelda felt herself hold her breath. She knew no one could really object to their marriage because she, nor Link, were already married, but it was just the thought that if someone wanted to ruin everything, this would be their final chance. When no one said anything Zelda exhaled shakily.

Finally, the priest ended the ceremony by announcing, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"Finally," Link whispered, chuckling lightly. Zelda giggled, and Link pulled her up into his arms, pressing his lips against hers. They both heard the crowd behind them cheer and clap happily.

The couple parted slowly, but then things sped up. Malon shoved the bouquet into Zelda's hands, and then Link's picked Zelda up bridal style. He then began to walk down the carpet paved path. Children and grownups alike all threw white flower petals at the newly weds as they passed by and entered into the castle. They were followed by the best man and maid of honor, and the groomsmen and the brides maid who were followed by the large crowd of people. It was time for the reception!

The ballroom was filled with people dancing to the small orchestra that was playing. Food was set out on tables along with drinks, and Link and Zelda's large white wedding cake. It wasn't long before Zelda and Link each had a piece of cake in their hands, and everyone was watching the couple as they began to feed the cake to each other. Sadly, Zelda wasn't expecting for Link to shove the piece of cake he was feeding her into her face. Zelda gasped in shock as Link continued to laugh at her. Zelda joined in with the laughter and then pressed her lips against his. She made sure to make the kiss as passionate as possible, and then, when Link was least expecting it, Zelda shoved her piece of cake into Link's face. Many laughs were emitted from the crowd as Link opened his eyes in shock. Zelda giggled like a young girl as Link chased after her playfully. It didn't take long for Link to scoop Zelda up in his arms and start tickling her.

After the small cake incident, cake and icing was smeared all over the floor, along with Link and Zelda's faces. They, and their mess, was cleaned up and then the newly weds were left for a short time to have for themselves.

Link took Zelda's hand in his own and they began to walk through all of the people in the ballroom, and towards the cool, empty balcony. Outside, the air was cool, unlike the stuffy air inside. Zelda looked out in the distance of their land and she could see the sun that was just beginning to set. She looked down at a large pond lying in the lush green grass beyond the balcony. Pink lotus flowers floated on top of the pond's murky, sun-reflecting water.

"Wow," Zelda breathed with a sigh.

"What?" Link asked wrapping his arms around Zelda's waist from behind her. He rested his nose in her hair, taking in the sweet smell of her shampoo.

Zelda leaned her head back on Link's chest and looked up at him. "Everything is just so amazing," she said in almost a whisper.

"Isn't it? Just a half year ago I would never have even imagined that you liked me, let alone marry me," Link said, equally as soft. "And now we even have twins on the way! Who would have thought?"

At Link's words Zelda placed her hands over her forming pregnant stomach and she smiled. She turned around in Link's arms, and then looked up into his eyes. Those deep pools of blue never ceased to make her give into him. "I'm glad we never gave up."

"Me too," Link whispered, holding Zelda's face in his hands. He lowered his head to her own and met her lips in a soft kiss.

Finally, they could feel peaceful. The sun setting in the distance, causing an orange glow to light up the cloudless azure sky, and a cool wind picked up causing the trees' leaves to rustle. A cuckoo crowed from far away, and a wolf howled in reply. The music from the ballroom lingered onto the balcony, flowing with all the sounds.

All of Link's and Zelda's determination...love...It had finally paid off. The two were finally together, where they had always wanted to be, in each others' arms. The got what they wanted and more, and still had more surprises coming their way. Things were going to be alright, and nothing was going to stop them from being together.

**A/N: That's it. The final chapter. I have had such a great time writing this story, and I thank you all who reviewed. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far. I'd also like to thank my friend Rhianna, who kept me writing with her love of my story and Link. :D Now, with the end of this story, my other story is beginning its development. Maybe I'll see a few of you there, keeping me going!**

**Many thanks,**

**Serene-Moon-Princess**


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